Hidden Beauty
by WinterAssassin
Summary: All she had ever wanted was to play basketball. Though her gender prevented her from joining the strongest team of her middle school, Teikou. A year later, in her first year of high school, she changes that and joins the Kaijou Basketball Club, disguising herself as a boy. This causes problems for not only her, but her new fellow teammates as well. Kasamatsu/OC {KasaHiro}
1. Basket One: New Student

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket One: New Student

OoOoO

"Class, this is our new transfer student, previously from Seika High school, please welcome Yasuhiro-kun." The teacher announced, his hand motioning to the boy standing by the door. Said boy, bowed slightly, before focusing his attention back on the ground.

"Would you like to say something about yourself, Yasuhiro-kun?" The teacher asked, the piece of chalk twirling between his chubby fingers.

A moment of silence, and he opened his mouth, "I'm Yasuhiro Kuro... I hope we can get along." He muttered out, his hands shoved inside his sweater's pocket.

"Alright, take a seat behind Takahara-kun." With a nod, Kuro went and sat in the empty chair, folding his hands neatly on his desk as he stared at the teacher with a bored expression.

Forty minutes later, the bell rang. Kuro watched the chubby teacher put his things away, and quickly walk out of the room. He gave a little stretch, already feeling tired from staying so still.

Not even a few minutes later, in came another teacher, this time a woman. She didn't waste any time writing the next assignment down on the chalkboard, clearly eager to start off the period.

Ten minutes into her long speech about Japanese War History, Kuro raised his hand, his leg bouncing as he fidgeted in his seat.

The woman stopped, frowning as she pushed up her overly large glasses. "What is it," She took a moment to look over the seating arrangement, before spotting his name - "Yasuhiro-kun?" She snapped, putting the glossy paper back on the old wooden desk.

Kuro cleared his throat, shifting in his desk. "I need to use the bathroom." He said, letting his hand fall onto his lap.

"Very well, take the hall pass with you, then." She harrumphed, and turned back to the board.

Kuro shuffled to the front of the room, taking the small card before exiting his homeroom. He slowly made his way towards the bathroom, but came to a harsh stop in front of it.

"... Maybe I should have thought about this some more..." He muttered under his breath, staring at the characters on the door, signifying that it was the men's washroom. He continued to glare at the door, wishing that it would combust into flames.

_Wishful thinking_, he reminded himself.

Kuro slowly reached forward, about to push the door open, but immediately froze when he saw a shadow loom over him.

"Oi, first year, I can't get inside." Kuro turned, eyeing the taller teenager with distaste. The boy had short black hair, and rather nice blue eyes, but a small frown in place.

'_Great, this is more awkward than I had thought it would be._'Kuro thought, slowly stepping out of the way for his sempai. He followed him inside, his gaze burning into the others back.

A furious blush found it's way to his face, as he realized that the second year was unzipping his pants, standing in front of those weird man-toilets. Quickly turning away (just in time), Kuro swiftly entered the stall, thankful for the privacy, and a real toilet.

Silently, he pulled his pants down, along with his underwear, and sat down on the toilet.

'_Oh my God, oh my God, I am freaking out, man._' The thoughts raced through her mind, fingers gripping her manly pants. '_This is seriously no place for a girl..._'She thought, pouting at the stall's door. Once she finished her duty of peeing, she reached for the toilet paper, only to realize that there was none left.

"..." She stared in shock, and let her head drop. '_I HATE BEING A WOMAN!_' She cried inwardly, sulking in the dimly lit stall. She froze when she heard the sound of zipping, suddenly remembering about the other guy who was in here.

'_It's now or never..._'

"U-uhm, excuse me..." She coughed awkwardly, trying to disguise the feminine squeak.

"Ahn?" Was the reply.

"C- could you possibly pass me some toilet paper... Please?" She felt her face burn, as she absentmindedly poked at the wall. Silence filled her ears, and she thought it was a lost cause, but then a hand swung under the door, holding a large roll of TP.

"Th- thank you, sempai!" She practically sparkled, taking the toilet paper from his grip.

"Don't mention it..." He replied, before his voice was drowned out by running water. She listened to the hand-dryer, before she finally finished her little bathroom time, and exited once the boy left.

A loud sigh escaped her lips, her shoulders sagging as she slowly walked up to the sink. While washing her hands, she looked in the mirror, pouting at her reflection.

Short rugged black hair adorned her face, as soft purple eyes stared back at her. "Remind me why I did this all again... ?" She asked herself in a huff. A small smile appeared before she turned the water off.

"Right..._ Basketball_."

OoOoO

After a long boring class of History, Gym, and finally Math, the bell rang, signaling that it was now time for Lunch. So far, the highlight of Kuro's day.

Because, she was planning to head down the the office for some information, and then join the Basketball team.

She sure hoped that she would be accepted, or her crazy idea of cutting her hair and suffocating her already a-cup breasts would have been for nothing! Plus, she really wanted to participate in practice today.

So, Kuro happily stored her text book and note books away before nearly jumping from her seat, to head down to the office so she could hopefully find out who the Captain of the basketball team was.

OoOoO

Hmm, I was watching random Kuroko no Basket episodes, and had the sudden urge to write this lol. Poor Kuro~ I feel bad for her!.. Er, him. TuT'

~Love me or Hate me~


	2. Basket Two: Locker Room of Doom

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Two: Locker Room of Doom

OoOoO

Kuro bit her lip as she stared at the sheet in front of her. "Ka- Kasamatsu Yukio..." She murmured, eyes reading over the page. "Alright, got to go find him. Maybe he's in his class... What if he's not even here? Ahhh, life is cruel." She talked to herself, being quiet enough so other sudents wouldn't hear her complaints.

A few minutes later, she reached his class, and poked her head in.

Giving a small cough, she approached a random girl, bowing politey. "Ah- erm, sempai, do you know where Kasamatsu-sempai is?" She asked, making her voice into a lower pitch.

"Eh? Kasamatsu... Kasamatsu... Oh, the captain of the basketball team?" The older girl raised her eyebrows in questioning.

"Yes, that's him." Kuro let a cool bad-boy type aura around her, pretending as if she didn't care at all, although happiness filled her heart on the inside.

"Yeah, I think I saw him leave. I think he might have gone to the gym."

"Thank you, sempai!" Kuro quickly turned away, leaving the blushing girl. '_Oh Gawd, I don't want any girl to like me._' She thought, shuddering as she pictured the huge blush on that third year's face. She ran her fingers through her short hair, missing how it once use to be long.

"Okay, to the gym." She whispered.

Once she made it, her jaw nearly fell to the floor as she stared at the epic horde of girls blocking the doors. "Ex- excuse me.. please..." Kuro mumbled, as she attempted to push past the girls. She froze when she felt a hand smack onto her chest, unknowingly holding her breath. The hand pulled away, and Kuro didn't see who it belonged to, because she was stuck in the middle of all the screaming girls. It just just a blob of hands and legs and excited screams, after all.

Managing to push her way through the crowd, Kuro stood from her hands and knee's, staring into the huge gym with her mouth hanging open.

"Whoa..." She stared at the current game going on. "Ah, there he is." Kuro said, spotting her target, the Captain of the team. '_It's so cool how they practice at lunch too~_' Kuro thought, picking a corner to watch the game from.

Ten minutes later, the game ended, with the blue team defeating the red team. She intently watched Kasamatsu walk away, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand as he drank from a water bottle. Slowly, Kuro approached the third year, hands behind her back.

"Kasamatsu-sempai," Kuro deepened her voice, a small frown in place. The third year paused, and looked at her questioningly. "Oh, you're the guy from the bathroom."

"E- eh... ?" Kuro's shoulders sagged, her eye twitching. "Bath.. room... oh, right, that was you!" Kuro stared, shocked. Shaking her head, she let the frown fall back into place. "Anyways, I was hoping that I could join the basketball team..." Kuro asked, her gaze burning into Kasamatsu's eyes.

Kasamatsu raised his eyebrow, his eyes scanning the figure before him. "Hmn, Name, Middle school, and position you're interested in?" He asked, hands on his hips.

"Yasuhiro Kuro, from Teiko Middle school, and I prefer the Shooting Guard position!" Kuro announced, bowing deeply.

"Hehh, Teiko?" Kasamatsu hummed, his eyes narrowing into tiny slivers. "Oi, Kise!" He called, motioning for the blond haired model forward.

'_Kise?... KISE!_' Kuro squeaked, watching as the blond obediently ran over, a huge smile on his face. "What is it, Sempai?" Kise asked, smiling rather innocently, looking in between Kasamatsu and Kuro.

"Do you remember him from Teiko?" Kasamatsu pointed his thumb at Kuro, who watched her fellow first year and ex-school mate walk up. "E- eh, no- I-" Kuro stuttered, putting her hands up to wave them about as she tried to form words.

"Araa... No?" Kise blinked, tilting his head. He frowned, his gaze lingering before turning back to Kasamatsu.

"Weren't you on the basketball team?" Kasamatsu narrowed his eyes again, crossing his arms. "N- no... I was-... sick. And I couldn't join any sports..." Kuro awkwardly lied, waving her arms furiously.

'_Oh my God, Kise Ryouta- I wouldn't have transferred here if I knew he was here-! I sure as hell hope that he does not recognize me... But then again, who would? It's not like I was well known or anything.' _Nearly loosing herself in her crazed thoughts, Kuro shook her head, awkwardly staring at the shiny gym floor. Out of habit, she ran her fingers through her hair again, nibbling her bottom lip.

"Do you have any basketball experience?" Kaijou's captain asked.

"Ah, yes. Before I transferred here, I used to be on the team at my old school."

"Hmm, why'd you transfer here? Also, what was your previous school?" Kasamatsu demanded.

'_What's up with the twenty-one questions?!_' Kuro glowered at the ground, resisting the urge to ask that aloud. "I previously went to Seika High school, and because... well, they were pretty weak. I have had enough of them. They hardly practiced, and were too lazy to even set up practice matches with other schools." Kuro replied, fingers playing with the edge of her blazer. She paused, noticing both Kasamatsu and Kise's intense stare.

"Wh- what?..." She huffed, digging her hands into her pockets.

Another long paused followed, before Kasamatsu finally spoke, "Alright, I'll see how you preform during today's practice, then I'll see if you may join or not." He nodded, turning on his heel and into the boy's locker room.

Kuro watched him go with a grin, her heart bursting with excitement. "Thank you, sempai." She whispered, digging her way through the group of girls still gathered at the entrance, all screaming for Kise's autograph.

OoOoO

Two classes later, the bell rang.

Kuro practically tripped over her own feet as she raced to get out of class, large duffel bag hanging from her shoulder. She shuffled through passing students, eager to get to the gym.

She has to prove herself, so she could join them. Then, once she's accepted, she'll slowly but surely climb her way up, so she'll be able to play.

A few minutes later, she's standing inside the huge gym, eyeing it with pride and excitement.

"Oi, freshman, get into the changing room." Kasamatsu yelled, flicking his wrist in the direction of the locker rooms.

"H- hai!" Kuro nodded, refraining herself from skipping into the locker room. Once she entered, she nearly fainted at the sight of all the boys inside. Instead, she stumbled to the side, banging her forehead on the wall clumsily, a look of shock present on her girlish face.

'_BOY'S LOCKER ROOM OF DOOM!_' She cried inwardly, awkwardly twitching as she nodded in greeting to some of the half naked boys.

'_Note to self: Change before coming to the gym next time._'

Keeping her gaze firmly on the ground, she silently snuck inside one of the empty stalls with her duffel bag. With a sigh, she unzipped it, and paused.

'_That's right... I still didn't tell my parents about my weird intentions..._' She thought, staring at the wig and skirt inside her bag. She shook her head, telling herself that she'll worry about that later, before changing into a very baggy black t-shirt and baggy dark purple shorts. She also changed her shoes, tying the laces tight.

"Ahhh, stupid bandages, so restricting." She chuckled darkly, running her hand through her hair again. "Alright, it's trial time." She uttered, opening the stall door and leaving her bag safely in a corner, before exiting the now empty locker room.

Kuro walked up to Kasamatsu, who appeared to be ordering everyone around. He paused, and turned to her. "Hey, okay, so, you'll be in a practice match; Red vs. Blue. You're team red." Kasamatsu threw a red vest at Kuro, nodding to the court.

Kuro nodded, staring at the red vest. She put it on, and walked onto the court, fingers curling into a fist as she stared at the blue team.

'_I will win._' She thought, gaze lingering on Kise, who was wearing a blue vest.

OoOoO

Aww, Kuro's so positive. Ain't that cute. Jk.

~Love me or Hate me~


	3. Basket Three: Welcome to the Team

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Three: Welcome to the Team

OoOoO

Kuro directed her gaze away from Kise, and focused on the Captain for a moment. '_Ahh~ He's not playing in the game. Maybe he's going to be watching how I preform and stuff... Great, now I feel self-concious. Oh God- What if he finds out about my un-manliness!? What if-_'

"Go!"  
'_EH?!_' Kuro hastily looked up, watching the orange ball fly above her head, as two people jumped for it. '_It's ours_.' She thought, watching seconds before a boy with a red vest knocked it onto their side. Her eyes followed the ball, which landed in her teammates hand. He charged forward, but her gaze never broke away form his form, watching as he ran towards the hoop while dribbling the ball.

Kuro stood still for a moment, before darting forward. Kise, with ease, knocked the ball from his hands, smiling innocently as he ran for the opposite hoop.

Kuro stopped in front of him, her eyes staring into his. She smirked, taking a couple steps back from him, watching as his muscles tensed. '_Left._'

Her right hand swept out just as the blond was about to pass, easily smacking the ball from his grasp. Using her speed, she easily twirled around his back, taking the ball. She charged forward, ball dribbling, and then came to a stop. She threw the ball towards the hoop, hoping for a bank shot, only it was smacked to the side by a taller boy with chestnut brown hair, probably the center.

"Che... Almost got it." Kuro huffed, her hands on her knee's as she watched the ball bounce out of bounds. She watched a fellow teammate throw it in, and smiled once another caught it. Standing straight, she jogged lazily towards him, hands hands up, silently asking for the ball.

The ball bounced from the ground with a resounding smack, with Kuro easily catching it. She dribbled it, eyes scanning the court. Not even a moment later, Kise was in front of her just as she was about to charge forward, successfully stealing the ball.

"Awh-" Kuro pouted, watching the blond model pass the red's without much difficulty, and simply lay-in the ball. She chuckled sheepishly, hands on her hips as her teammates took a second to retrieve the ball.

'_Damn, didn't expect him to copy me that quickly. Oh well._' She nearly missed the ball hurling towards her, but managed to wrap her hand around the backside of the baseball pass and bounce it on the ground. She watched Kise run forward, and turned away to look ahead of her. Frowning, she quickly threw an overhead pass to her teammate who happened to be by the goal.

She noticed his muscles tense up as he caught the ball, and turned immediately to preform a layup as he passed the power forward.

'_So close._' She cringed, watching as her thoughts came true when power forward easily caught up, taking the ball away from her teammate.

The power forward threw an overhead pass to Kise, who was already on the other side of the court again. He easily broke past the defense, dunking the ball.

Kuro looked at the score board, sweat dropping. '_Four - Zero. Blue obviously winning._' She thought, before shaking her head to focus on the game. '_I believe that Captain said we'd only be playing for twenty minutes. And it's only been six minutes._'

Kuro stood back for a moment to observe her fellow red's, watching their every movement with her calculating purple eyes. '_Power Forward's going to go for a steal_.' She thought with a sigh. '_Do I try to stop him... Or should I wait. He's clearly going to pass to Kise, so maybe I'll try for a three-pointer._' A small smirk spread on her face as her prediction came true. She waited until Kise successfully got the ball, and dashed forward with great speed, got behind Kise and then stole the ball mid-dribble from the Ace. Kuro glanced to the teammate beside her, and smiled as she pulled a behind-the-back pass, and took a few steps back while doing the calculations in her head.

Her teammate seemed to understand, and went in for a jump pass, last second sending it flying back to Kuro. She caught the bounce and lifted the ball with her finger tips, hand steadily on the side as she bent her knee's for the jump. She let the ball go, and looked back at the defenders.

'_It's too high of an arc._' She told herself, smiling when the ball bounced off the back board and into the hoop. '_That's three points._' She chuckled, turning away from the enemy's hoop in order to return to her side.

She paused, and turned to stare at Kise, who seemed to be intently staring her down. '_Not to mention another copy._' She smiled innocently at him, before turning away to focus back on the game.

OoOoO

In the end, she lost. _Obviously._ The Blue team had won, with 48 - 13. Kuro walked calmly over to Kasamatsu after she noticed him beckon her forward. She nodded her head, wiping the sweat from her brow with an easy going grin.

"How was that?" She grinned, freezing a second later. She cleared her throat, as she forgot to make it more deeper. "I- I mean, how was that?" She asked again, voice this time more boyish.

He gave her a long weird but calculating gaze, and nodded slowly. "Alright. You may join my team. I think you have quite a lot of potential as a player, and we can work on that more. You performed well against Kise and the others." Kasamatsu cracked a little smile, patting Kuro's shoulder.

"Welcome to the Team." He smirked. "Now go run twenty laps or I'll hit you." He added, pointing to the doors which lead outside.

"E- eh?" Kuro blinked in disbelief. "I- did it..." She sighed happily, shoulders relaxing. '_And did he just say he'll hit me... ?_' She shrugged, and did as she was told, unable to stop the growing smile as she began her laps.

OoOoO

Two hours worth of practice later, she excused herself from her fellow teammates and upperclassmen, taking her duffel bag without changing and started on her way home. After two transfers by train, she arrived near the shopping center that she lived by.

Kuro walked inside, and towards the public washrooms. She looked around, making sure that no one was paying her any attention, before quickly running inside the women's washroom.

She quickly hid inside a stall, and took the wig from her duffel bag, securing it on her head. The wig, was black like her hair, only long enough that it reached the small of her back. She brushed the knots out of it, and fixed it so it looked actually quite real, and stripped out of her shorts to put on the gray skirt that was part of the girls uniform at Kaijou.

She lifted her shirt off as well, staring down at her chest with distaste. "Maybe I should be thankful I'm so flat." She muttered dryly, peeling the bandages off, revealing a purple bra. She quickly pulled the white blouse on, buttoning it up before pulling her blazer from her back and slipping it on. She reached for the red tie this time, securing it around her neck.

'_There, now I look like old me again. Hooray~_' Kuro thought, shoving her basketball outfit back into the bag. She came out, and went in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection.

'_I miss having long hair_.' She thought, smiling sadly at her reflection. '_Still, I wonder how I'm going to tell my parents when they find out... I'll worry about that later. It couldn't hurt them that much._' She nodded, stepping out from the women's washroom and back outside of the large mall.

'_Now I'm back to my old self... Yasuhiro Kuroi-chan. The only daughter of the Yasuhiro couple, who happened to fall in love with basketball. That's me._' Kuroi thought, a pained expression crossed her face as she walked up the steps that lead to the front door of her home.

She opened the door, and kicked her shoes off to the side. "I'm home!" She called out, taking her heavy duffel bag off her shoulder to put it to the side.

"Welcome home, Kuroi." Her father greeted her, patting her head. She tensed, but relaxed a second later when his hand retreated from her head. "How was your first day of school? How did your practice go? Did you make any friends?" Kuroi was bombarded with questions as her father directed her into the kitchen, where her mother was humming a tune while setting up the table.

Kuroi took a moment to answer, inhaling her mother's delicious cooking. "Well, it was boring, but good. The school is really big and pretty. And practice went perfect, I even played a practice match with the other gu- er, girls." No matter how much she hated lying, it never got any easier for her to do it, especially in front of her parents. She hated it, but she needed to do it.

"And, uhh, didn't make any friends. Although my teammates said I played great." Kuroi shrugged, as she plopped herself down in her usual seat.

"That's good, honey. I made your favorite, in celebration for your first day." Her mother smiled sweetly, serving out the portions for the three of them. "I also expect you to do your homework, you hear? And make sure to shower before you go to sleep." Kayate nodded sternly, putting her daughter's plate in front of her.

"Okay, mother." Kuroi smiled, as she grabbed her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu." She said, before she shoved the delicious food in her watering mouth.

OoOoO

Omg, please forgive me. I suck at writing anything sporty/action related. As you could see, lol, so don't be to harsh on me. I tried and even studied more about the sport :'I

~Love me or Hate me~


	4. Basket Four: Duty as a Man

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Four: Duty as a Man

OoOoO

'_It's really weird walking around with a wig on._' Kuroi thought dully, kicking a random pebble. She had finished her homework and took a shower as told. Currently, her father had sent her out to the convenience store, because they had run out of ice cream. Even though it was nearly ten.

Her father loved his ice cream bars.

'_At least I look like an actual girl..._' She tilted her head helplessly, laughing at herself. Ten more minutes passed, and she could see the brightly lit convenience store. She just needed to go past the dimly lit children's park and then she'd be there in under five minutes.

"Hey, baby."

"Eh?" Kuroi stopped, peering over her shoulder curiously. There were four guys behind her, all smirking. She paled, and turned around to face them.

'_Why couldn't I feel them coming!?_' She frowned, taking a step back. She backed right into another guy, who looked older than the other four.

He easily grabbed both her wrists, holding them above her head.

"O- oi! Bastard, let me go!" She growled, kicking at the guy helplessly. He chuckled, and held her away from him, a sickening smirk on his butt-ugly face.

"We were out looking for some fun, and then you happened to walk by. So, I figured, why not." He snorted, grinning widely.

Kuroi glared furiously at him, wishing that she really was a boy this time. Oh, wait, neither's a win-win. She loses either way. Damn.

"I don't care what you think, you ape!" She hissed as she dangled, barely able to stay on the tips of her shoes.

"Hmn~ I don't think angering the monkey would do you any good." Kuroi froze, cocking her head to look over said monkey's shoulder.

"K- Kise!" She gasped, stumbling as the older guy hastily turned around. "Heeeh, Kise Ryouta? The model?" The guy growled, casually tossing Kuroi to the side.

She stumbled and fell onto her butt, huffing angrily.

"That isn't any way to treat a lady." Kise narrowed his eyes, a harsh frown on his face.

"Jaaa, I hope you won't mind if we break your pretty little face." The man hissed, motioning for the other four to attack.

"So you think it's pretty, too!" Kise suddenly sparkled, a huge grin on his face. Kuroi twitched, the sudden urge to smack him rising. She would, but then she couldn't. She should actually be using this time to escape, but she'd feel to bad if he got beat up trying to defend her.

Kuroi stood, weighing her options. If she stays, there could be a possible chance that he finds out who she is, which is very dangerous.

It would immediately get her kicked off the team, and she couldn't have that, could she? Not after she worked so hard just to get on.

She was brought back to the present when she heard a cry of pain, her heart twisting painfully when she thought it was Kise. She quickly looked, and blinked once, then twice. The five guys were on the ground, holding bleeding noses or bruised body parts.

"..." Kuroi acted automatically, and rushed forward to Kise, grabbed the sleeve of his casual looking jacket, and dragged him all the way to the convenience store.

She stopped outside, and sighed loudly from relief. "Oh gosh, I thought I was a goner! You saved me, I guess." She laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. Kuroi bit her lip and looked everywhere else than the young model, who was smiling rather innocently.

"It's my duty as a man!" He grinned, raising his fist in the air happily.

'_Yet you act like a child._' Kuroi thought, smiling at him.

"So, what are you doing out so late?" Kise asked, walking inside the convenience store. Kuroi followed him, without paying much attention.

"Oh, uhhm, I needed to buy something, it's actually really importa-"

"Ohh! So you came here to buy it too!" Kise asked, his expression holding happiness as well as excitement. "I knew it was going on sale here first, so I rushed all the way down here just to buy a copy~!" He grinned, grabbing something from the shelf and dropping it in Kuroi's hands.

"B- buy what?" She asked, about to look down. "My new photobook!" Kise smiled proudly, as he pushed her along to the cash register.

"Wha- no! I came to bu-"

"Nonsense, I know you're a fan!" Kise gave her a reassuring thumbs up. "I promise you'll like it!"

"Yea- n- no!" Kuroi stuttered, starting to get confused from his fast-talking.

"Then after we can talk!"

"O-... what?" Kuroi whined, as she slowly pulled out the money. She blinked in confusion as change was given to her, and frowned once Kise pulled her outside.

She stared down at the bag, and pulled out Kise's 'new photobook'. She stared in shock, and crouched to the ground in a huff.

'_I was trying to buy ice cream! Not a stupid photobook. Father's going to be mad... Maybe I can say it was peer-pressure. Yeah... technically it was._' Kuroi's thoughts raced so much that they became jumbled.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the very park where she was attacked, with the model standing beside her. She looked around for those guys, but there was no sign of them, making her sigh in relief for a second time.

Awkwardly, she looked back at Kise, who wasn't even paying attention to her as he flipped through various pages of his photobook.

"Ne," He suddenly closed his photobook, his gaze turning into a serious one. "You seriously remind me of someone."

'_Oh God, oh God. Goodbye basketball, goodbye Kaijou, goodbye male-me. Goodby-_'

"Have you ever done modeling?" Kise asked, sparkling at her.

"... No." '_His mood swings scare me._' She kept her purple eyes locked on his, scared that he might recognize her.

"I see... Well, you should!" Kise smiled, walking inside the park area to sit on a swing. Kuroi slowly followed, almost cautiously, and sat down on the swing beside him, warm fingers tingling against the cold metal. It was probably past ten by now, maybe even close to eleven. Kuroi could already see her breath come out in puffs against the cold night air. The moon was already clear in the sky with the stars glittering around it.

"Oh, I'm Kise Ryouta, but I'm sure you already knew that." He pushed off from the ground, putting his weight into swinging back and forth.

Kuroi nodded, doing the same but slower.

"So," Kise reached his hand out, grabbing Kuroi's cold one in his, "What's your name?" He breathed out, small smile present on his face.

"!" Kuroi yanked her hand back, stumbling off the swing. "YOU'RE GOING TO FAST, BAKA!" She yelled, kicking the pebbles at the stunned model before she turned to run all the way back to her home, hands still holding the bag which contained his photobook.

OoOoO

The next day, Kuroi was woken bright and early by her mother knocking on her door. The smell of breakfast drifted into her nose, making her sigh in delight.

"Are you up, Kuroi?" Kayate's voice drifted through the door, making Kuroi shift into a sitting position.

"Yeah, I'm up." Kuroi replied, yawning loudly as she stretched in the warm morning air. She stood, almost falling over from still being half-asleep, and clumsily made her way into her bathroom.

She paused, and stared at her reflection. "Geez." She moaned, staring at the wig which was half off of her head, still as messy as ever. She took it off, throwing it to the side carelessly as she did her business.

After spending the next ten minutes in the bathroom, Kuroi came out fully dressed in her uniform, hair combed to perfection, and teeth brushed tell they sparkled.

She trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen, plopping herself at the table. "Itadakimasu!" She smiled, and began to eat her meal for the day.

"Oh, Kuroi, I put your bento in your duffel bag." Kayate said, as she washed the dishes she used to make breakfast.

Kuroi coughed, smacking her chest. "D- did you?" She squeaked, remembering that her 'male-counterpart-equipment' was still in there. She giggled awkwardly, eyeing the food in front of her. "Th- thanks, mother." She smiled, shoving some more food into her mouth before standing swiftly. She drank the orange juice, and slammed the glass down. "Gotta go now, bye, love you!" Kuroi said, darting out of the kitchen. She nearly mowed down her father, but he was quick enough to dodge.

"Oh, Kuroi, where did you put my ice cream?" Her father asked, fixing his tie in the mirror that hung on the closet by the door.

"Uh- err..._ Melted_! Have fun at work!" She stood up and kissed her father's cheek, and slipped her runners on before taking off.

Kuroi made her first stop at the mall, changing into the boy's uniform after wrapping the bandages around her chest, and throwing the wig into her duffel bag. She ruffled her hair, and swung the bag over her shoulder before quickly sneaking out of the women's washroom unseen, and then to go catch the train so she could be on her way to school.

OoOoO

Oh Gawd- _Can't stop writing._ Anyways, I need my sleep =u=;... *goes to start chapter five* TTuTT

~Love me or Hate me~


	5. Basket Five: Lunch in the Gym

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Five: Lunch in the Gym

OoOoO

Two train stops and a whole lot of walking later, Kuro arrived at school. '_It's already so tiring just to get here._' She complained with a pout, walking into the large school building.

She was still ten minutes early, so she settled for shoving her duffel bag inside her small locker at the front of the school, and slowly walk to her homeroom, textbooks, binder, and pen in her arm. Kuro found herself humming the same tune she heard her mother humming yesterday, but decided nothing of it, and stopped when she passed by the gym. Staring at the large doors, she remembered the horde of girls that always crowded in front of here, begging for Kise's attention.

Pssh, if only they knew.

Kuro chuckled, cracking her knuckles unknowingly, the urge to punch that stupid model's face growing. In the midst of her glowering, she almost didn't hear the warning bell, and opted for heading to class, not wanting to be late.

Four classes later, it was now lunch time. Kuro gratefully left, bento in hand. She didn't know if she was suppose to just do what ever during the lunch break, or if she was suppose to go to the gym and do anything special like train...

If she hadn't been to excited yesterday, she could have asked... Oh well, she'll go ask now. Kuro walked towards the gym, wondering if she could find Kasamatsu there.

Like she thought, he was there, with a few others, sitting and eating his food. She spotted Kise, who appeared to be so absorbed in his food, he didn't even notice her.

'_What if he recognizes me from last night? Then I'll be in deep trouble_...' Kuro thought, turning so she could make a quick escape, thinking that she'll just ask after school.

"Oi, Yasuhiro!" Kuro froze, slowly turning around. '_Captain, why?!_' "Y- yes?" Kuro grumbled, bento tapping against her leg almost impatiently.

"Why don't you come eat with us?" Kasamatsu motioned Kuro over. '_Never!_' "Alright..." Kuro inched over slowly, sliding into a sitting position. '_Might as well ask and just get it over with._'

"Umm, so, what am I suppose to do during lunch?" Kuro asked, opening her bento.

"Hm? Oh, it doesn't matter, usually we all just come and eat in here, sometimes play the rest of the break till class starts. Oh, I'm having another match, but I'd like you to stay and observe." Kasamatsu demanded, nodding to the court.

"Ah, easy enough." Kuro smirked, popping an octopus weiner in her mouth.

"By the way, might as well introduce yourself to the others." Kasamatsu ordered, closing his bento, not even a moment later he began stretching.

"Right, I'm Yasuhiro Kuro, first year, and previously attended Seika High." Kuro bowed her head, stuffing rice inside her mouth.

"I'm Kouji Kobori, and I play Center. This is Mitsuhiro Hayakawa, and he plays the Power Forward. This guy is Yoshitaka Moriyama, and he's our shooting guard. And Kise Ryouta, our Ace and Small Forward. Finally, at last but not least, Kasamatsu Yukio, he's the Captain and the Point Guard."

"Moriyama-sempai has some competition~!" Kise grinned.

"I won't lose." Moriyama countered, "I'll work hard for all the pretty ladies in the crowd!"

"But! They're here for Kise!" Hayakawa yelled, furiously shoving food into his mouth as he talked.

Kuro raised her brow, staring at the four. "Since Kuro wants to be a Shooting Guard~ You'd be the first year shooting guard, and we even have a second year shooting guard! His name is Nakamura Shinya!" Kise chuckled, taking another bite from his sandwich. "You're all rivals~!"

'_Rivals... huh. I like the sound of that._' Kuro thought, smiling lightly as she stared down at her bento.

After five minutes, the match began. This time, Kasamatsu was in it. Kasamatsu, Kise, Hayakawa, Moriyama, and Kobori were the blue team, whereas Nakamura, and four other second years who Kuro did not know were on the red team.

She put her bento down, wiping her mouth with her sleeve casually, remembering Kasamatsu's words.

"_Remember to watch everyone's movements, trace their every move, every step, every _breath, _I can guarantee you'll learn something very valuable while watching._"

She wondering if Kasamatsu knew her 'skill', but pushed the thought away and focused on the match in front of her, smirking.

OoOoO

By the time the warning bell rang, the game had ended, with Blue's in the lead by _56 - 23_, although the seconds years all put up a very good fight till the end.

They all marched into the locker room, changing back into their uniforms, while Kuro stood by the door, waiting.

"Ah, Kasamatsu-sempai," Kuro walked up to the Captain as he exited, clad in the grey uniform. "I'm pretty sure I did learn a few things, well, maybe more than just a few."

"Good, we're going to be having a practice match in a about a week, and I'd like to get you trained and ready by then. So, expect a lot of harsh training this week, rookie!" Kasamatsu bellowed, firm smirk in place.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Kuro chuckled, saluting to her captain. '_He really is suited to be Captain._' She thought, before bowing. "I'll see you after school, sempai!" Kuro called, turning to run out of the gym, and get to her class.

OoOoO

After an eventful afternoon, school was now over. Kuro almost forgot about her mental note, but quickly found herself in the boy's washroom. It was crowded, and she nearly bashed into a wall while trying to direct her gaze else where from the manly urinals.

Couple minutes later, Kuro managed to take the stall at the end. She quickly changed into her street clothes, black shirt practically hanging from her shoulders.

'_Maybe the locker room isn't such a bad idea. 'Cause this is friggin disturbing._' Kuro twitched, walking out of the washroom with an impassive glare. She tamed the flush of embarrassment by the time she reached the gym, eyes scanning the area.

"Oh, there you are." Kuro practically jumped out of her skin, and turned to face the captain. "Wh- what is it, sempai?" Kuro asked, setting her bag down where it wouldn't get it the way.

Kasamatsu looked meaningful for a moment, before looking peeved. Kuro took a step back, his words echoing in her mind. _"- Or I'll hit you!"_ She chuckled awkwardly, eyes set on the floor, the sound of shoes squeaking and basketball's thumping on the ground noisily, the light buzz of voices distracting her from her wrathful sempai.

"Friday." Kasamatsu finally said in a huff.

"Fr- friday?" Kuro blinked.

"You have till Friday, to learn as much as you can from Kise. He'll be your... 'Mentor', if you want to call it that, because Friday is the day of our Practice match." Kuro's eyes widened, nodding as it processed slowly in her mind.

"Here's a list of everything you need to do before you practice with Kise, although you may do it with him."

'_DO IT WITH HIM?!_' Kuro stepped backwards in shock, immediately blaming her experience in the boys' washroom for her mind going all weird. "O- okay, sempai." Kuro nodded again, quizzically staring at the piece of paper. '_FIFTY PUSH UP'S!?_' She could have sworn her heart stopped beating for a moment once she finished reading everything that was listed.

OoOoO

Awws, chapter five is short. But, it's chapter _FIVE_~ An accomplishment for me, I guess. Since I usually get distracted by some new story, and then forget to update my old ones that I was so obsessed with all the time...

I won't do that this time, I promise! TTuTT (I even made a one-page comic thingy for a certain part in the story I shall soon be writing... Lol. I'll post said comic later on, though.)

~Love me or Hate me~


	6. Basket Six: Training Begins

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Six: Training Begins

OoOoO

For at least an hour, Kuro was alone. Don't get her wrong, she liked the silence for a change. No hushed whispers or loud screaming fans (of Kise).

She was naturally a quiet person, not one to fit in with the loud people. She was also very happy that she was moved outside, where the sun shone and the wind blew gently, the clouds so white and fluffy...

Kuro enjoyed days like these. She would have enjoyed it more, if she wasn't in the midst of doing sit-ups. The last listed thing on her work-out list that Kasamatsu had given her. The only thing to be happy about was being almost done.

Only twenty more, she told herself, trying to ignore the burning feeling that surrounded her stomach.

Touching her elbows against her knee's, she sank back onto the green grass, and pulled herself back up,_ nineteen..._

Down, up. _Eighteen._ Down, up. _Seventeen._ Down, up- A blob of yellow appeared from out of no where, startling her. _Back down._ _Does that count as one?_

Kuro fumed inwardly, hands still behind her head, knee's still in the air. "Kise-san..." She greeted almost coldly.

"Kise's fine." The blond grinned, making himself comfortable on the grass. Kuro shrugged awkwardly, and stared at the model. He was sweating, if only a little. He'd obviously been doing some sort of vigorous training, maybe just as she had.

Up, down. _Sixteen?_

"Sempai had me doing the same thing, more or less, when I first joined." Kise said, seemingly going into a daze of some sort.

Up, down. _Fifteen._

Kuro rested for a moment, using that time to wipe at the sweat on her forehead. Up- she reached for her water bottle, the cold liquid refreshing and welcome to the heat. Back down.

_Fourteen._

Kise snapped out of his trace-like state, and focused on Kuro, silent as he watched from his spot on the grass. "Do you need me to hold your feet? It'd be faster that way!" Kise grinned, waiting for an answer.

Kuro thought about it, and nodded slowly. The model was right, it'd be more quick, and easier. She adjusted herself, staring at the golden locks that peaked just over her knee's.

A sudden wave of awkwardness hit her, but she pushed it away and continued with her sit-ups, counting down mentally.

Thirteen more later, she was finished. Kuro let out a sigh, falling back tiredly. For a moment, all she could hear was her own heartbeat, drumming loudly in her chest.

"Even when you get use to it, you'll still be in pain." Kise mused, smiling widely.

"Great." Kuro replied dryly, voice hoarse. Sitting up, she fanned her face with her hand as she sipped from her water bottle. The water wasn't as cold or refreshing as it was a while ago, she noted with a frown.

"So, what are we going to do?" She asked, spinning the now empty bottle in her hand casually.

Kise thoughtfully tilted his head towards the sky, his eyes staring at the numerous fluffy clouds. "Hey, you know, I met this really weird girl the other day..." Kise murmured, eyes still glued to the sky.

Kuro froze, bottle softly landing on the grass. "Re- really... ?"

"Yup! She even kicked pebbles at me!"

'_THAT'S NOT SOMETHING TO SOUND SO HAPPY ABOUT!_' Kuro shouted inwardly, twitching.

"That's why I was late this morning, I had to go to the doctor's, cause one went flying in my eye." Kise laughed, shifting into a laying position, back to the ground.

"I'm sorry." Kuro immediately said, feeling bad all of a sudden.

"Heeeh, why?"

"To hear about that! _I'm sorry to hear about that_... Are you okay?" Kuro quickly covered up her mistake, even though she really did wonder if he was okay.

"I'm fine! It really just tickled, then felt weird after a while because I kept on bugging it."

'_How would that tickle... Baka._' Kuro turned away, hiding the amused smile. She paused after a second, face palming.

"Kise! We're suppose to be training! Not talking about some stupid girl!" '_Heheheh, that's right. I called myself stupid. Now he'll never find out it's me!_' Kuro thought deviously, smirking in delight.

"I was thinking about it!" Kise huffed, shielding the sun from his eyes. "Let's see... I have three days. Well, four, if you are counting Friday." He sat up, his eyes narrowed in deep thought. "No, make it three. I have something to do tomorrow after school!" Kise nodded to himself, smiling.

"So, today we'll just handle the basics, as well as tomorrow. That's your job for tomorrow! Then, on Thursday we'll work on your skills. Finally, on Friday, before the match, we'll go one-on-one."

"Yes, sensei." Kuro teased cheekily, standing up to dust the stray grass from her shorts and shirt. "By basics, you mean practicing my shots and others plays, right?" Kuro assumed, stretching. She scowled the moment her muscles protested, and instead punched her stomach.

Kise stared, a curious look on his face. "Why'd you do that?" He sweat dropped, holding his stomach in the same place, the memories of Kasamatsu's abuse filling his mind.

It was Kuro's turn to stare at the sulky Kaijou member, before shrugging. "I dunno. Well, now that I think about it, it was pretty meaningless." She smiled, taking the basketball that lay beside her duffel bag.

"I need to work on my dunks and layup's and such. I'm really short, so it makes it harder for me."

"Yeah, you are a little on the short side." Kise easily agreed, fingers tapping against his chin.  
"Thanks." Kuro said gravely.

"But maybe you can use that to your advantage, you know?" Kise grinned, giving a thumbs up. Kuro eyed him, before shrugging again.

"Yeah, I suppose. Maybe I could slide under taller guys' legs." She said jokingly, waving it off.

Silence greeted her, and she turned to look at Kise. He literally had sparkles in his eyes. "That'd be so cool!" He cried, clearly ecstatic.

"I was _joking._" Kuro looked taken-aback.

"It'd work, though!" Kise replied stubbornly, puffing his cheeks.

"You're such a child!" Kuro crossed her arms, glaring up at the blond male. "Ohhoho, and you're just that much older?" Kise laughed, face fixed into a big frown.

"What's that suppose to mean!" Kuro demanded, brooding silently. "You know exactly what it means!" Kise poked her shoulder with impressive strength.

"No, I don't! But, _please._ Enlighten me." She yelled, punching his arm.

"Ouch!" Kise pouted, rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

"Sorry!" Kuro apologized with a heavy sigh, putting her arms behind her back. "I won't hit you again." She said, head directed to the grassy fround.

Kise simply grinned at her, holding his arm. "Okay, thanks."

"You are strange, Kise Ryouta." Kuro shook her head, hands on her hips.

"HEEEYYY! KASAMATSU-SAN SAID YOU CAN GO HOME NOWW!" Kuro and Kise turned, staring at the loud Hayakawa, who seemed to be running towards them with lightning speed. He was still clad in his street clothes, but had his bag hanging from his shoulder, and a towel hanging loosely around his neck, soaking up any dripping sweat.

"Yeeey!" Kise cheered, thrusting his fist in the air. "Not '_Yey_', we've only been talking the past fourty minutes!" Kuro face palmed, rolling the ball between the palms of her hands.

Kise pouted, "Well, we'll stay later tomorrow, if you're allowed!" He said, grabbing his small bag, and jogging off. "See ya tomorrow!" He shouted, waving as he jogged.

"..." Kuro waved slowly, and turned to look at Hayakawa. She smiled awkwardly, nodding. "Uhm, goodbye, Hayakawa-sempai!" Kuro bowed politely, taking her bag while holding the ball in the other.

She headed back to the gym, so she could put the ball away, dribbling it as she went. She poked her head inside, the huge gym entirely empty.

"Whoa, it looks even bigger when it's not filled with people." She commented, bouncing the ball as she went into the storage room. Kuro successfully placed the ball inside the awaiting bin, and turned on her heel, leaving the empty gym to head home. Well, mall first, then home.

OoOoO

D'aww, Kise and Kuro seemingly had a 'fight', but then made up in a weird way... Hmm, I'm having a hard time thinking of any special skills for her, but I may have one. :I

~Love me or Hate me~


	7. Basket Seven: Tomorrow's the Big Day!

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Seven: Tomorrow's the Big Day!

OoOoO

"I can't believe Kasamatsu-sempai said that we could go!" Kise grinned from ear to ear, walking with an obvious spring in his step.

"Yeah, for a price, baka." Kuro glowered, continuing to mutter under her breath. "Have'ta run twenty laps and buy drinks for everyone back at the gym... Tch." Kuro complained, walking behind the model.

Kise laughed, waving his arms childishly. "It's okay, it's okay~" He beamed happily, nearing their destination. "I'm so happy~ I get to see Kurokocchi~!" He hummed.

Kuro watched, wondering when he was ready to skip down the side walk.

"Kurokocchi?" She asked, not forgetting to lower her voice again, even only a tad. Kise didn't seem to mind 'his' overly 'girlish' voice. He said it made 'him' seem... '_Exquisite_'... Which kind of in the end, scared Kuro just a little.

"Yes! Kurokocchi was _my mentor_ when we were in Teikou! He's really cool! We're playing him on Friday!"

"..." The first year's thoughts and memories immediately drifted back to her Teikou days. The roar of the crowd and the aura of excitement still fresh in her mind whenever she attended their games.

But, she remembered him. 'Kurokocchi', or Kuroko Tetsuya. He was the sixth man of the Kiseki no Sedai. She didn't know him on a personal level, but she had talked to him once, but then he mysteriously disappeared after a few seconds... Needless to say, she was worried. Until the next day, she saw him practicing with the others.

"Oh, hey, we're here." Kuro pointed to the sign in front of the high school. "Okay, so, Kasamatsu-sempai said that there should be a store of some sort around here. Imma go look for it and get the drinks, okay? Don't take to long." Kuro said, staring at a crumpled little piece of paper as she continued past the school.

"Okay! I'll be waiting right here!" Kise yelled after her, before stalking past the gates in search of the gym, a smile on his face.

OoOoO

Kuro flipped the paper, squinting at it. "Seriously, who wrote this?" She asked herself, tilting the paper yet again. '_Mm, maybe it was Hayakawa-sempai. He seems like the type to write all.. crazy like_.' She thought, yawning tiredly.

School had ended early, so instead of the normal two hours of after school activities, she and Kise had done three, to make up for yesterday.

They practiced her layups and dunks, Kise occasionally having to help her a bit, ending in one alley-oop, to which they both claimed as cool. And they even went over a few plays and possible strategies for the Friday practice match. Oh, also with the added twenty laps. _Geez._

So, here she was, walking around aimlessly, in search for a store. "Oh God... 'Better not be lost..." She muttered, glancing at her surroundings. Kuro only shrugged, and passed by a park.

A few more minutes later, she finally spotted a convenience store, and happily made her way inside. "..." She looked around, before making her way to the end, with all the cold drinks.

"Heh... These will probably be luke-warm by the time we get back." She chuckled darkly, grabbing a whole variety of different flavors. She awkwardly stumbled to the front, placing all the large pop bottles onto the counter, digging through her bag for the money. She paid and shoved most of the bottles inside her bag, and carried the last six in a plastic bag. "Thank you." Kuro nodded, exiting the store.

The first year retraced her steps all the way back, until she found herself standing in front of Seirin Koukou. Kuro yawned and sat on the sidewalk, her back against the fence.

She would have fallen asleep, if not for the sudden whine. Her purple orbs snapped open, and she glanced up at the Ace, who was pouting.

"Kurokocchi rejected me!" Kise whined loudly as he adjusted his uniform blazer.

"Aww, the baby." Kuro teased, smirking. She lightly punched his arm after she stood. Kise practically had tears in his eyes.

"Why did you punch me?" He whined, huffing as he groped his arm.

"Eh?," Kuro blinked, staring at the model, "U- uhh... Don't guys usually... punch each other... ?" She asked, wincing.

Kise blinked, and thought about the confused statement. "Oh, I guess you're right. Hehe." Kise grinned, reeling his fist back so he could punch Kuro's shoulder.

Kuro laughed with the blond, although the urge to attack was growing. She pushed the thoughts away, and instead focused on Kise.

"It's probably for the best, anyway." She retorted, switching the bag to her other hand.

"Hmm?" Kise blinked, tilting his head to the side.

"No, it is best. Then we can climb to the top and be the best in Japan!" Kuro yelled, kicking Seirin's sign. Kise watched with wide eyes, and settled for laughing. "I got to agree with you though, but we will be facing some strong opponents."

"I couldn't ask for anything better." Kuro grunted, pulling out a pop and handing it over to Kise.

OoOoO

The next day, Kuro happened to be in a good mood. She had passed her math test, so she was happy. Also, today was Thursday. Which meant that they got to practice her skills. So that doubled her happiness.

After her 'normal' practice which Kasamatsu had given her, Kuro and Kise had began to work on her skills and such.

After a tiring hour, they had called it a day, and Kuro had left for home, keen on just finishing her home work and getting to sleep. Tomorrow was the big day, after all.

She grinned, the excitement barely containing itself within her.

OoOoO

Ahhhhhh... I ended up finishing chapter eight first, cause I weirdly kept getting writer's block around the middle of chapter seven TuT So, my bad, that's why it ended up taking so long Dx

Also, sorry it's super short, hopefully the chapter eight makes up for it! |OTL

~Love me or Hate me~


	8. Basket Eight: Kaijou Vs Seirin

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Eight: Kaijou Vs. Seirin

OoOoO

"Oh man, my heart." Kuro smiled impatiently, patting her chest.

"What's wrong?" Kise asked, blinking as he tilted his head to the side as he stared at her questioningly.

"I'm just so excited. For the game." She admitted, her heart thumping wildly. Kise grinned, bobbing his head in understanding.

"Me too, cause I get to play against Kurokocchi!" Kise flashed the disguised girl his 'model' grin, giving her a thumbs up. "Oh, I think we should start our one-on-one, before it gets to late, cause I still need to go greet them."

"Alright, let's do this." Kuro beamed, standing up from the ground. They walked onto the outside court, Kise idly dribbling the ball. They both got into position.

"Here, lady's first." Kise grinned teasingly, tossing the ball towards her.

"Agh-!" Kuro froze, letting the ball hit her stomach and bounce away.

"Haha! I was just joking!" Kise grabbed the ball, balancing it on the back of his hand as he smiled innocently. "Though your face was priceless when I said lady."

'_That friggin scared me!... That bastard._' Kuro though angrily, catching the ball when he threw it to her. "Jerk." She muttered, darting forward when he was least expecting it.

As she passed him, she could see his muscles tense in _that way_, so she stopped and stepped to the right, dodging him. "So, how long are we playing for?" She questioned, dashing for the hoop, the thumps from the ball smacking against the ground echoing in her ears.

"I was thinking the first to reach twenty!" Kise replied, appearing right in front of her.

"Tch." She frowned, turning away and then into a full circle. Kuro sprung forward, shooting the ball towards the hoop. '_It was worth a try._' She thought, watching as Kise easily smacked it to the ground.

The blond caught the ball on the first bounce, and turned himself in the air and slung the ball into the basket. "That's two for me." He grinned childishly, taking a few steps back.

"Yes, yes," Kuro replied, catching the ball before it managed to hit the ground, and raced backwards, keen on going further back until she reached the three-point line.

"Eh! No way, you're going for a three pointer!?" Kise whined, rushing for her. He was too late, because she decided a formless shot would be better, and it was, because it landed on the rim, tipping into the basket.

She stuck her tongue out, sprinting forward. Kise scampered after the ball, catching it before it went out of bounds, and carelessly throwing it over the backside of the hoop. The ball bounced straight off the rim and inside the hoop.

"Ehh, you're no fun with your copies." Kuro whined, although the smile on her face said otherwise. Kise only grinned in response, jogging towards her.

She caught the ball, and dribbled while staring at the hoop. She glanced at Kise, who stood by the hoop, guarding it. '_Mmm, to go for another three-pointer, or not._' Making up her mind, she turned and raced for the three-point line, dribbling as she went. As predicted, Kise followed after her, devious smirk on his face.

Kuro turned and got into position, ready to jump, just as Kise swept forward, hand darting up as he tried to steal the ball from her grasp. She easily broke to the left, heading for the center of the court, laughing audibly at Kise's surprised groan. Kuro bolted towards the hoop, and jumped straight at it. She dunked the ball, fingers grazing against the cool metal of the orange hoop.

Nearly after thirty minutes, their one-on-one game ended. It was _20 - 17_, with Kise as the winner. By the time they had finished, both were panting, wiping the sweat with their shirts.

"That was fun, plus a good warm up." Kuro commented, currently sitting in the grass.

"It was... Your really good! Also very unsuspecting at times, which confused me quite a lot." Kise tried to keep his pout, but it only turned into a smile. "What's your secret!" He huffed after a moment.

"Eh? It's not really a secret... But, my parents were really helpful. My father is a doctor, and he taught me a lot about the human body, mostly because he wants me to be become a doctor when I'm older... And my mother, she used to be a Dance instructor when I was a child. She used to take me to her classes a lot, if she could. I really learned a lot from watching everyone. And now, I guess, it pays off in basketball." Kuro shrugged, inspecting her sneakers. "I'm able to predict everyone's next moves with how they react, just by a simple muscle tense or by their body language. It works most of the time."

"Whoa," Kise drew out the word, staring at Kuro in awe. "So, you could like, see into the future!" He gushed, sparkles in his golden eyes.

"Eh?," Kuro blinked, waving her hands. "N- no, I wouldn't go _that_ far..." She emphasized, lowering her hands, giving the model a blank stare. "W- well, what ever..." She muttered, turning away from Kise's unwavering gaze.

Kise paused, looking around. "Oh! I'm going to go check the time, and then go wait for Kurokocchi! I'll see you at the gym, Yasuhirocchi!" He exclaimed, pushing off the ground and breaking out into a light jog, heading towards the school.

"Ya- Yasuhiro_cchi_!?" Kuro watched the small forward, shocked. She recovered a moment later, and slowly got up, collecting her things.

She began to head for the gym, deciding that she should get ready for the game, because their opponents would be here very soon.

OoOoO

Kuro had changed into her uniform, and was now entering the gym. She blinked, at the sight that greeted her. '_We're only play on a half court... ?_' She frowned, walking past the guys who were still practicing and onto the empty side. She walked up to Kasamatsu and Hayakawa, arms crossed.

"Ne, why are we only playing on half?" She grumbled, staring up at Kasamatsu.

"Coach said that he doesn't want to waste any time and still wants the others to practice while we play." The captain explained, eyeing the half court.

"Geh-... that's sucks." Kuro pouted, putting her bag down where it wouldn't get in the way.

"Ah, they're here." Kasamatsu said, nodding his head towards the entrance. Kuro turned, staring at the bunch. Her eyes widened when they landed on a certain blue haired member. '_No way... Is that Kuroko?_' She thought, staring at the short boy with no aura. She hummed, and turned away, looking at the other players.

She turned away after, giving the girl with short brown hair a longer look, and instead focused on stretching.

Feeling eyes on her, she turned to locate the source, and stared when she saw the brunette staring at her with wide, calculating eyes.

'_SHE'S STARING AT ME!_' Kuro thought, sharing the same look of shock along with the girl who must have been thinking the exact same thing.

'_Holy crap- she must know, she keeps staring at me! Oh my God, I'm gonna die, she's gonna tell coach! Or worse, Kise-!_' Kuro's thoughts raced, intently staring at the girl. She watched Coach walk away, and then Kise walk up to them with a frown. Kuro paid no attention to what they were discussing, and instead turned away with a sigh.

"Let the practice match between Seirin High and Kaijou High begin!"

'_Ah..._' Kuro slowly joined her sempai's in the line, hands behind her back. She looked at the, at the Coach, then at Kise.

None of them seemed to know, so she sighed in relie- wait, Kise's on the bench? She blinked, staring at him silently.

"Uhm, we're about to get started, so Seirin, please have your five line up." Kuro drifted away from her thoughts, and turned to stare at the guy. '_But they do have five..._' She thought, looking at the blue haired member, feeling somewhat bad for him.

He had put his hand up, saying that there was five of them. She watched the guy jump back about a foot with an amused expression, and briefly wondered why all of them looked so shocked.

They soon began tip off, with Kobori hitting the ball to Kasamatsu.

Kuro ignored what Kasamatsu had said, and instead focused on the Seirin members. The only one she had recognized was Kuroko, and didn't know the rest. Her eyes lingered on Kuroko, staring. "Ah! Kasamatsu-semp-!" She didn't have enough time to react as Kuroko approached her captain, smacking the ball from his grasp.

The invisible boy ran towards the hoop, but Kasamatsu was quick on his feet, easily catching up. Kuroko swung the ball behind him, passing to a feisty red haired-looking boy.

Feisty boy dunked it in and landed on his feet. Kuro blinked, and stared at the now broken hoop in his hands. '_What an idiot..._' She thought, twitching.

Kuro stood by, watching as arrangements were made for them to use the full court, and hide the smile on her face. '_That's what you get, coach._' She giggled quite demonically, stopping only when she saw Kise walk on court.

Walking towards him, she heard various cries from his fangirls, and rolled her eyes in annoyance as she approached him. "Happy your on?" She questioned, tilted her head up at the model.

He nodded, fixing his uniform before he went to wave to the girls with a large grin on his face. Kuro twitched, wanting to hit him.

She took a step back, Kasamatsu dashing past her only to dropkick the model. Kise stumbled forward, teary eyed.

She chuckled, watching Kasamatsu yell and scold Kise, before whispering to him. Curious and feeling nosy, she walked over, leaning in to listen. Happy she wasn't attacked or pushed away, she looked in between both males. She had missed the first part, but came in time for Kise's reply.

"Number ten?" Kuro blinked, watching as they both turned around to look at the feisty red haired boy. She leaned past Kasamatsu's shoulder, trying to look at him. "That's Kagami." Kise replied, turning back to their sempai.

Poor fe- _Kagami_... He looked confused at their staring. She tuned them out, and eventually turned away, getting back into position since they were starting. '_I'll leave them to their plotting._'

The first five minutes flew by in a blur, and everyone was sweating by the time Seirin had called for a time out.

Kuro plopped herself down, wiping the sweat away. She paused, and looked down her uniform, frowning at the bandages. '_I need to change these after_...' she decided, half-listening to the coach yell at them.

She vaguely heard Kasamatsu ask about Kuroko, and decided to tune in at that moment, tilting her head to look at Kise's reaction.

The blond had a huge smile on his face, as he started talking about Kuroko, only to get punched in the gut by Kasamatsu.

"Why the hell are you so happy?" Kasamatsu glared, frown present on his face.

"It's okay," Kise replied, grabbing Kasamatsu's hand, making both Kasamatsu and Kuro stare. "The balance wil tip soon." Kise insisted, smirking.

"Awh~ How cute, Kise is holding Kasamatsu-sempai's hand." Kuro chuckled, chin resting in her palms.

Kasamatsu elbowed Kise, yanking his hand away with a huff. Kise continued on to explain about Kuroko's 'Misdirection', and soon enough, the game resumed.

OoOoO

There was now an eight point difference by the time the second quarter began, but of course they started it off with a bang.

Points were taken from both teams, and Kuro was started to get annoyed. She had seen the coordination between Kagami and Kuroko, surprising Kise.

Again, they did it, and she was about to continue on, but froze when she saw that Kuroko passed the ball to her mark; number 4. She hadn't enough time to block his three-pointer (and it wasn't because she was short), and frowned as it passed through the hoop.

A few minutes had passed, and to say in the least, she was surprised when Kuroko had stopped in front of Kise. Kise came out of his shocked state, and easily by-passed the invisible player, only to get stopped by Kagami.

Kuro stared, and her eyes widened once she saw Kuroko come up from behind Kise, about to perform a back-tip.

"Kise!" She shouted, rushing forward. She was to late, because Kuroko successfully knocked the ball from his hold, sending it straight into number five's awaiting hands. Kuro came to a stop, watching as he scored.

She sighed, and wiped away the sweat from her brow, falling back. Not even a minute later, the referee called for a time out. Kuro blinked, and turned to see Kuroko on the ground. She looked at Kise, who's eyes were wide.

She felt queasy once she saw the blood dripping from Kuroko, and turned away, staring at the floor as she caught her breath.

Okay, surely it wasn't her shortness, but it was getting harder and harder to stop the glasses-guy's shots. Almost every single one of them went in.

The last two quarters went by quickly, and just like that, it ended. Kagami skillfully ended it with a buzzer beater, shocking everyone.

"Tch," Kuro huffed, tiredly wiping away the sweat from her brow. She had wanted to win, but it was still a practice match. Surely they would face off again, and next time, they would win.

She glanced at the electronic score board, they were only two points away. The game ended with _100 - 98_, Seirin the winners.

Glancing at her team mates, she paused when she looked at Kise, pouting. "You're crying, big baby." She smiled, poking his back.

They all lined up, and bowed.

Kuro grabbed her bag, eager to get out of the wet bandages and head home. She was tired, after all. She slung the duffel bag over her shoulder, but paused when the female coach came to a stop in front of her.

She bit her lip, "Hey..." She nodded her head in greeting. The girl nodded her head, hands on her hips. "Hello, I'm Seirin's Coach, Aida Riko. Sorry to ask so soon, but do you think I could I talk to you for a moment?" She asked, motioning away from the large crowd.

"Sure." Kuro nodded, her grip tightening on her bag as she followed Riko away from the court.

OoOoO

Heh, Kuro thinks Kagami looks feisty. Oh, as promised, that one page failure of a comic thingy... There's a link on my profile if you're interested. It's just about Riko and Kuro, when they first notice each other. lol

~Love me or Hate me~


	9. Basket Nine: A Friend in Need

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Nine: A Friend in Need

OoOoO

Kuroi sat on the train, staring out the window. She glanced up at the dimming sky, silently watching the clouds float by without a single care in the World...

Today was different, after her little talk with Riko, she had went to the nearest mall to change out of her boyish things, and went back into girl-mode. She was just too tired and exhausted to do it after her long train ride back home.

All she wanted to do was shower and collapse on her soft bed. Yeah... That sounded comfortable...

Her thoughts drifted back to Riko, remembering their 'talk'. She glanced back down at her hand, reading the number over again for the seventeenth time.

OoOoO

_Kuro followed after the Coach of Seirin, fingers still securely wrapped around the strap of her bag. They came to a stop outside, further away from everyone._

_Riko had an unreadable expression on her face, and they just stood in the silence for a while._

_"So, you're a girl..." Riko spoke first, laughing awkwardly._

_"I am... I'm sorry." Kuro winced, ducking her head. "It's just, ever since I entered middle school, I've wanted to play basketball for a long time... Ever since I saw _them _play... Teikou's Generation of Miracles..." Kuro spoke softly, eyeing the ground. She didn't know why she decided to tell the female her life story, but maybe it was because she could finally confide in someone, especially if that someone was a female. It actually felt like a weight was lifting from her chest, for once..._

_Riko watched with interest, hands still firmly on her hips._

_"Though, do to my gender, I couldn't join, plus I was too shy and inexperienced to start a female basketball club myself. That's when I entered High school, I began one at my old school, Seika high, but all the girls there were too... foolish. They had zero experience, and opted for doing their make-up and nails and stuff... So I transferred. To Kaijou, figuring it was far enough away that I wouldn't get found out... An-"  
"That's nothing to be sorry about!" Riko interrupted, grabbing both of Kuro's hands, frowning._

_"Eh?" Kuro blinked in response, staring at her hands then looking back up at Riko. She was shocked when she saw tears in the coach's eyes, threatening to spill._

_"I can understand how you feel! Although that never really happened to me before! And I feel your pain! I'm flat too." Riko wailed, pulling Kuro close to her._

_Kuro blinked, confused. "Fla-.. ohhh. _Oh._" She flushed, patting Riko's back._

_"I was trying to decide if I should have told anyone! But I'm glad I didn't! I'm sorry, but, here's my number if you ever want to talk, and just let it all out!" Riko added, taking a black marker out. She wrote down her name and cell phone number down on the back of Kuro's hand._

_"Tell me your name."_

_"Ya- Yasuhiro Kuroi... Well, now it's Kuro." Kuro mumbled, still having a hard time processing what had just happened._

_"Remember; don't hesitate to call me if you wanna talk!" Riko shouted, waving as she disappeared around the corner._

_"R- right..." Kuro shook her head, and walked back inside to change from her sweaty uniform._

_She was about to enter the locker room, before she was stopped by Moriyama, who she had replaced during the game. "Y- yes, Moriyama-sempai?" She asked, still dazed._

_"What's that?" He gestured to her hand. Kuro blinked, staring. She blushed again, putting her hand behind her back. "Riko-chan's number..." She murmured, before going into the locker room._

OoOoO

The next day, Kuroi didn't wake up until 1:27 in the afternoon. She had gone straight home from the train, and took a quick shower before passing out on her bed.

Her muscles somewhat ached from the game and also the one-on-one yesterday, and she didn't want to get out of bed. So she lay there for a few minutes, thinking things over before looking at the number that was still written on her hand.

Even after her shower, the name and number was still written clearly. '_I hope that isn't permanent_...' She thought, smiling.

"Don't hesitate to call me..." She quoted Riko's words from yesterday. She glanced at her cell phone, and grabbed it. Kuroi gave it a long hard stare, before making up her mind.

She dialed the given number, listening to it ring. Kuroi nearly chickened out, and was about to hang up, but then she heard Riko's voice pick up on the other end.

"_Hello?_"

"A- ah... Hi... This is Yasuhiro Kuro-"

"_Kuroi-chan, it's good to hear from you!_"

"Y- yeah..." Kuroi blinked, staring up at her ceiling. "I was wondering... If-"

"_Are you doing anything today? It's Saturday! I was thinking we could go hang out and talk, like I promised!_" Riko chirped from the other end of the line, and Kuroi could practically hear her smile through the phone.

"I'm free." Kuroi replied, smiling quite shyly. '_I feel like a girl… er, a guy?... I'm confused._' Her confused thoughts only made her head spin. Riko's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she blinked.

"_Where do you live? We could meet up somewhere! How about Kaijou, I know how to get there._"

"Ehh, su- sure." Kuroi nodded slowly, "Uhm, what time?" She asked.

"_Mmm, how about 2:30?_" Riko hummed. Kuroi listened to the shuffling noise on the other end. She turned to look at her clock.

"Yeah, sure." She agreed, sitting up. "Wait, uhh... do I dress like a girl... ?" She asked, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"_Of course! I want to see Kuroi-chan as a girl! Oh, I know, bring me a picture of before you cut your hair!_"

"Al- alright..." Kuroi chuckled, "Goodbye, Riko-chan, I'll see you soon."

"_Bye bye!_" The line went dead, and Kuroi tossed her cell onto her bed as she stood up quickly. "I only have an hour to get there..." She pouted, looking through her dresser for clothes. She managed to find a simple black skirt, with a purple line that wrapped around the whole skirt an inch above the bottom, and a dark purple sweater which had the sleeves ripped off just above the shoulders, cat ears attached to the hood.

She changed and went into her bathroom, fixing her stupid wig and doing her business before she went digging through her desk to find a picture and to grab her wallet. Kuroi managed to find a good picture; it was when she was in middle school, at Teikou.

She was standing with a group of her friends, and they all happened to be at the Generation of Miracles basketball game, cheering them on.

Kuroi smiled at the memory, before tucking the picture in her pocket. She practically hopped down the stairs, and to the door.

"Kuroi, where are you going?" Kuroi stopped, and turned to look at her mother with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, I'm just going out to meet a friend! I love you, bye!" Kuroi said quickly, tugging her hood up as she slipped her sneakers on. She took her keys and ran out the door and onto the sidewalk outside, jogging for the train station.

OoOoO

I'm happy I'm going onto the tenth chapter so soon *u* Thanks to those who continue to review/favorite/follow this story! It keeps me awake at night~ Uh, in a good way?...

Just picture Kagami when he's excited, and stays up the whole night smirking. Yeah.

~Love me or Hate me~


	10. Basket Ten: I Won't Lose!

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Ten: I Won't Lose!

OoOoO

By the time Kuroi got off the train, it was nearly 2:30. She only had about thirteen minutes left to get to her school to meet Riko. She jogged for the school, because she knew that it took nearly twenty-five to thirty minutes just by walking to reach there, so she took her chances by jogging.

Kuroi pulled her hood off, the sun blazing down with its fiery heat. She absentmindedly wiped at the sweat that formed above her brow. Her wig was quite warm, no thanks to the added heat.

Kuroi reached the school in record time, her purple eyes scanning the area for the brown haired captain of Seirin. She came to a slow stop in front of the private school, rubbing her shoulder as she caught her breath.

Her muscles still ached since the day before, and now that she thought about it, she was still a bit tired.

"Kuroi-chan!" Kuroi nearly jumped from her skin, turning around to look at the other female, who came running up. "Hi!" She greeted, smile on her face.

"Hey, Riko-chan." Kuroi smiled, nodding in greeting.

"Awwh~! The girl you is so adorable! What kind of wig is that? Is it high quality?" Riko asked away, coming up to stand beside the girl, inspecting the long black strands.

"Eh, uh, thanks?... Not sure, but it was the best they had to offer." Kuroi shrugged, ignoring the ache that came from the movement. "Oh, I brought that picture you asked me to bring." Kuroi reached into her pocket, pulling the folded up picture out. She unfolded said picture, and handed it into the awaiting hands of Riko, who took it gratefully.

"Kyaaaah! You're so cute! When was this?" She asked, her eyes sparkling at the picture.

"Mmm, it was at a Teikou game, in middle school. Some of my friends and I went to cheer the basketball team on." Kuroi answered, hands stuffed inside her pockets as she idly kicked at the little stones that littered the ground.

She adjusted the pully strings for her hood, pausing only briefly when she saw a flash of black out of the corner of her eyes. She turned to look, but saw nothing.

'_Huh..._' She thought, frowning. Kuroi shook her head, turning her attention back to Riko. The Coach had finished with her sparkling, and was now staring intently at the sky, looking deep in thought.

"Uhm, Riko-chan?" Kuroi questioned, tilting her head to the side. "Should we go do something-... or something... ?" Kuroi wanted to smack herself, realizing how lame she sounded.

Riko only smiled and nodded, thinking. "Hmm, how about we go get something to drink or eat!" She suggested, crossing her arms in thought. "Then we can talk." She chuckled, brushing strands of her brown hair from her eyes.

"Sure." Kuroi nodded with a smile, following after Riko.

OoOoO

The two had ended up at a nice looking restaurant that happened to be near Kuroi's school, and were now sitting in a booth, drinking tea.

Kuroi scratched her cheek, staring at the green liquid inside her cup. She looked up at Riko, who sipped the steaming green tea, sighing in content.

"So... What should we talk about?" Kuroi asked, fixing her sweater as she waited for Riko's response.

"Do you like anyone?" Riko grinned, leaning forward.

If Kuroi had been taking a sip of her tea, she surely would have spit it out all over Riko's face. "No! No." She confirmed, shaking her head wildly.

Riko only giggled, her grin melting into a smile. "It's okay, you can tell me the truth!" She sung innocently, tilting her head to the side.

"I am. Well, I can't really afford to like anyone anyways, considering the position I'm in." Kuroi shrugged, chuckling awkwardly. "What about you, do you like anyone?" She asked after a moment, watching Riko look up in thought.

"Eh, not really! I mean, it's sorta like your position, but different. I want to become strong enough to lead them all to the finals! I want to see them win." Riko smiled fondly, clearly thinking of her team.

Kuroi nodded in understanding. "Then, Riko-chan, I must apologize!" Kuroi leaned forward, huffing.

"Hmm?" Riko blinked, curiously staring into Kuroi's purple eyes.

"Kaijou will be the one to win! I won't give up!" Kuroi announced, her hands gripping her cup.

Riko shared her smirk, slamming her two fists down on the table, "I won't lose!" She claimed, staring into Kuroi's fiery eyes.

A couple heated seconds passed, and they both erupted into fits of giggles. "That was strange." Riko noted, wiping a tear from her eye.

Kuroi nodded furiously, trying to contain her giggles. She scrubbed at her eyes, finally the last of the giggles leaving her.

"You know... This is nice." She spoke, "It's nice to have someone to talk to, to laugh with, and to count on... Thank you, Riko-chan!" Kuroi smiled sweetly.

OoOoO

Kuroi didn't know how long it has been since she first met with Riko by her school, but the sun was just beginning to set.

The sky was painted beautifully with pinks, oranges, and purples. Wispy clouds slowly floated by, welcoming the soft reddish glaze of the sun which slowly began to disappear.

Kuroi pulled the zipped higher, stuffing her hands inside her pockets for warmth. Only a few minute ago, she had said her goodbyes to Riko, and they went their separate ways.

Her walk to the train station only took ten minutes, and she slowly made her way up the stairs, fingering the pass in her pocket. She took the final step, and looked up.

Her face paled as she spotted the train, few people were scurrying on.

'_The doors will now be closing._' Kuroi ran, her fingers curled into a fist as she listened to the automatic announcer.

"Wait, hold the doors!" She roared, racing to the closest door. A hand darted out for the door, stopping it from closing. She barreled in at top speed, knocking the stranger and herself over.

"S- Sorry!" Kuroi murmured, her hand darting out to rub her knee, which had painfully collided with the floor of the train.

"Haha, it's okay!" Kuroi froze, eye twitching as she focused on the person's face. "K- Kise! uhh, _san_. Kise-san-" She squeaked out, scooting off the fallen boy.

He rubbed the back of his head, pulling himself up into a sitting position. Once he cleared his thoughts, he blinked at her.

"Ah! You're that girl from before!" His expression visibly brightened as he pointed his index finger at her.

Kuroi bit back a response, and stared blankly at her fellow teammate. '_Why must fate be so cruel!?_' She thought, moving to sit in an empty seat.

"Tell me your name!" He grinned, sitting himself beside her. Kuroi twitched, crossing her arms.

"Absolutely not." She answered, angling her head away from the curious blond.

"Ehh! Why?" Kise whined, hugging the duffel bag close to him. Kuroi just stared at the passing scenery, before the train went underground.

She nibbled the bottom of her lip, feeling the bond's gaze on her. A couple minutes passed, and she got annoyed. "How long are you going to stare at me, weirdo?" She hissed, leg impatiently bouncing as she knew it would take a while before she got off at her stop. She didn't want to be stuck with her team mate for that long, he might get suspicious.

"I'm not a weirdo!," Kise cried, obvious pout on his face. "I'm just wondering why you're here!" He smiled, nodding to himself.

"Funny, I was wondering the same thing." Kuroi narrowed her eyes, glaring at the model.

"I'm going home! I actually just finished another photo-shoot." Kise babbled, golden-yellow eyes practically glowing as he filled her in on his latest shot. Kuroi only nodded tiredly, letting a small yawn out.

"Ah, am I boring you?" He asked, smiling sheepishly. "Let's talk about you, then. What's your favorite sport?" Kise asked, waiting intently for her answer.

"Basketball." Kuroi replied immediately. Only after a couple seconds, did she realize her mistake. She turned to look at the model, ready to attack if he suddenly realized that she, was a he, but really still a she. God, life was confusing.

Kise only stared at her with a blank dull look, before the fire was lit in his eyes again. "Me too!" He cried excitedly.

"I love basketball! I started in middle school because of Aominecchi! Oh, do you play? We should play some time!" Kise added, fidgeting in his seat, awaiting her answer.

"U- uhh... No, I don't, sorry. I usually just watch it on TV." Kuroi replied, watching as his shoulder visibly sagged.

"Maybe I could teach you!" He grinned suddenly.

"C- Can't. I need to focus on my studies. Plus, I'm busy with... girl stuff." Kuroi twitched with brooding eyes. Kise's smile fell, and he just settled for pouting. "What?" Kuroi asked, crossing her arms.

"Nothing." He huffed out.

"Oh, I'm not allowed to have a life?" Kuroi growled out darkly.

"Of course you are!" Kise argued, frowning in response.

"Baka." She hissed, glaring out the window at the setting sun.

"You remind me of Yasuhirocchi!" Kuroi sputtered, turning her glare to the blond. "Don't compare me to some random person." She scolded.

"Hehe, sorry." Kise shrugged nonchalantly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, would you look at that, my stop is here. Goodbye!" Kuroi stood quickly, making a bee line for the doors. "... And sorry for running into you." She huffed, stepping out of the train.

OoOoO

Nuuu, leave Yasuhirocchi alone, Kise! xD Sorry I haven't updated in a (long) while, I've been busy with school... and video games. Hooray for Lollipop Chainsaw. But, anyways, taadaaaa?

~Love me or Hate me~


	11. Basket Eleven: First him, now you?

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Eleven: First him, now you!?

OoOoO

Kuroi made her way home, kicking at the small pebbles that littered the streets, passing by some people. She shivered, the cold pricking at her exposed arms, and shoved her hands further into her pockets, wanting the cold to go away.

"Stupid wig." She whispered to herself, the damn thing was starting to make her head itch, so she couldn't wait to take it off.

Once she made it back home, she sighed loudly as she entered, her parents greeting her.

"Kuroi, you were gone for a while. What did you do all day?" Her father asked, blinking at her curiously.

"Uhh, hang out with a friend?" She shrugged, slipping her hood off as pushing her shoes into the corner where they wouldn't be in the way.

"Well, I think it's good that you're making friends. But make sure to dress warmer next time." Her mother demanded sternly, dishes clattering noisily in the kitchen.

"I will." Kuroi replied, heading upstairs to her room.

Once she got inside, she groaned thankfully and ripped the wig off, scratching her head. "I thought you were good quality." She kicked it, taking her sleeveless sweater off and hanging it on the chair by her desk.

Glancing at her clock, she collapsed on her bed, yawning again. "Man, it's only 7:40 and I'm already tired. Oh well, I blame the game against Seirin." Kuroi hadn't paid much attention, but now that she did, her body was still sore, but not as bad as it was when she woke up.

After deciding to take a quick bath, she put her wig back on when she was called down for dinner.

"Did you have fun today?" Her mother, Kayate, asked as she put a plate full of vegetables and fried chicken in front of her. Kuroi stared at the barrage of colors, before looking up at her mom.

"Yes, I had fun." She replied, smiling. She grabbed a steamed carrot with her fork, easily biting into it.

You see, Kuroi and her family are used to eating more... American-style? Yes, they use forks and spoons and knives mostly and rarely use chopsticks. She has been used to this ever since she could remember.

"How was work, dad?" Kuroi asked after a while, peeling bits of pieces from the chicken wing.

"Mmm, it was the same as usual." Mikoto answered. "Oh, my company is throwing a family BBQ next weekend, and we're going. So don't plan anything, alright?" He added, poking Kuroi's cheek.

"Okie dokie." Kuroi grinned. Her father's company events were always so fun and entertaining; they even had giant teeth walking around. She still remembered a time when she was younger, and she got to participate in one of the events. Kuroi had been a giant tooth brush. Although, that's a secret she'll keep forever. She finished her dinner quickly, and excused herself and went to take a bath. Afterwards, she retreated to her room, and eventually gave into her sleepy state and fell asleep, covers pulled over her body.

OoOoO

Kuroi woke up surprisingly early the next day. It was a quiet morning with the sun burning in through her window; she could feel the warm heat on her body as she pushed the blanket off of her.

She yawned and stretched, ruffling her short hair, and settled for sitting there for a few more minutes, oddly content.

Eventually, Kuroi stood from her bed, and changed into black shorts and a light purple t-shirt. She pulled ankle-high socks on, which were decorated with little basketballs, and fixed her wig until she looked presentable.

The purple eyed girl went downstairs and into the kitchen. She rummaged through the cupboards, finding some brown sugar pop tarts. She sat at the table and ate silently.

After her pop tarts, Kuroi stood and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, taking a long sip of the cold water. She went to the front door and shoved her feet into her sneakers; before she took off outside into the warm sun, to begin her jog.

Kuroi jogged towards the mall, water bottle tightly grasped in one hand, as she mentally counted the seconds it took to reach the mall.

She wiped away the sweat, taking another drink, and sat down on a nearby bench. She rested for five more minutes and began to stretch shortly after. Kuroi yawned, and decided to jog to the park that was near the mall.

On her way, she had rounded a corner, and bumped right into someone. "Sorry!" Kuroi apologized, taking a couple breaths.

"I- its okay..." Kuroi paused, blinking. '_That voice..._' She looked up, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Ka- Kasamatsu-san?!" She cried, staring in shock at her team mate.

"Eh! How-.. How do you know me?" He gaped at her, visibly shaking.

"Oh... I uh, just happened to read about you in an article." Kuroi cursed herself inwardly, wanting to face palm or something. '_Seriously. First Kise and now Kasamatsu!? Who next, Hayakawa?_' She sneered, crossing her arms in a fury.

"Uhm, it's nice to meet you, I guess..." Kuroi blinked at her Captain's shaky voice. Now that she noticed it, he was still shaking, if only a little bit. '_What's wrong with him?_' She thought, raising her eyebrow in questioning. '_Don't tell me..._' Kuroi fought the oncoming grin, and cleared her throat.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, goodbye, Kasamatsu-san!" Kuroi smiled, laughing inwardly when he flinched once she patted his shoulder. She took off in a light jog, deciding to just head back home.

OoOoO

It was now Monday, another day of school. Kuroi- now Kuro, had been thinking on her way to school, about the new information on Kasamatsu she had. His reaction when he first saw her, the girl her, was very unexpected. Since he usually just bosses every else around (he is the Captain) and throws threats around like it's not a big deal (when it isn't)... His sudden change or personality shocked her, in the least.

She also found it very amusing, and cute in a way.

Kuro made it past the gates, staring at the ground as she made her way to her classroom. She was dreading school; the only good thing about it was basketball, after all.

"Yasuhirocchi!" Kuro paused mid-step, turning to face the blond who was running up to her. "Hi, Kise." Kuro nodded in greeting.

"Did you miss me?" Kise smiled expectantly, his duffel bag hanging by his side.

Kuro twitched, and turned her head away. "No." She replied, deepening her voice just a tad.

_Living as a cross dresser is hard_, Kuro decided. She coughed, and continued on her way to her class.

"Ne, I saw that girl again! She was on the train!" Kuro paused, looking at the model out of the corner of her eyes. "Really?" Kuro asked, frowning.

"Yup! Though she refuses to tell me her name..." Kise huffed.

"Too bad." Kuro muttered, stopping in front of her classroom. "See you later." Kuro said as she waved Kise away to his class.

She walked inside, running thin fingers through her short hair, and made a bee line for her seat.

OoOoO

The end of the day came quickly, and Kuro stood hastily from her seat, swinging her duffel bag over her shoulder as she did.

She zoomed out of her homeroom and headed straight to the gym, ignoring the passing squealing girls.

Kuro ran into the boy's locker room, happy when she didn't spot anyone. "Yes!" She rejoiced, happy that she was the first one to be here.

This meant that she could change quickly, and get it out of the way, without her looking that suspicious.

_Sheer Genius._

Kuro practically ripped her uniform off and put on her shorts and t-shirt, along with her runners. As she finished tying her shoe-laces, the door opened, and mostly all the second and third years entered, even a few of the first years.

Smiling smugly, Kuro tilted her head politely at her upperclassmen. "Sempai's." She acknowledged, keen on making her voice deeper. She saluted them, and quickly exited the changing rooms, before it got too M rated.

OoOoO

Hooray, chapter 11!~ *is happy and content* Thanks for reading, everyone! And for the reviews/favs/alerts! You fill my non-existent Heart with Pure Joy!

~Love me or Hate me~


	12. Basket Twelve: Questions and Answers

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twelve: Questions and Answers

OoOoO

Kuro stepped out from the changing room and into the large gym with a smirk. She looked around, before spotting the blond model (somehow he was already changed).

Quickly walking over to him, she coughed, taking his attention away from the onslaught of fangirls. "Hey, I forgot to ask you something." Kuro spoke, doing a once over just to make sure.

Kise blinked, and tilted his head in silent questioning. "What is it?" He finally asked.

"It's about Kasamatsu. Has he always... well, been bad with girls?" Kuro asked, scratching her head lazily.

Kise blinked again, and burst out laughing. Kuro frowned, '_Could I have mistaken that guy for someone else? No, that was definitely Kasamatsu-sempai._' Kuro crossed her arms in deep thought.

"Sorry! It's just that Sempai_ is _kind of bad with girls. He goes all shaky and stuttery, it's kind of cute!" Kise chuckled, grinning brightly.

"I'll wipe that grin from your face, Kise!" Kuro barely had any time to move out of the way of the angry Captain, before he came flying, successfully kicking Kise in the gut. She smiled, laughing quietly.

"What's so funny, newbie!?" Kasamatsu huffed, glaring daggers at her.

"Nothing, Kasamatsu-sempai!" Kuro smirked, turning away before she was attacked, too. Just seeing Kise's body on the ground was painful as it is.

"Yasuhirocchiiiii, you could have warned me that Kasamatsu was behind me!" Kise whined, rubbing his sore cheek as he walked up to her.

"Ehh, but, he came from behind me; you should have been able to see him because you were facing him, baka." Kuro smiled rather innocently, jabbing Kise's side. "So, any idea on what we're doing this week?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Today is Monday, right?" Kise pouted, blinking at her.

"Uhm, yeah." Kuro nodded slowly, waving the blond off as she picked up a ball.

"Well, probably a lot of running." Kise said after a moment of thought. "On Monday's, Kasamatsu-sempai makes us jog around the entire school five times, then jog down the street to that convenience store, then all the way back after a five minute break, and we finish with another five loops around the school!" Kise grinned, giving Kuro a thumbs up and a pat on the shoulder. "It's different every day. Don't worry, you'll get used to it, Yasuhirocchi!"

Kuro could only groan.

OoOoO

"You know, my side is starting to hurt..." Kuro muttered to Kise, rubbing her side as she took a deep breath. They were all at the convenience store, finally.

"Fft, it isn't that weird that a whole bunch of high school students are hoarding around outside. Not at all." Kuro rolled her eyes, staring at her reflection from the glass.

"..." She turned away, managing to stifle a yawn, and bent down to tie her shoelaces. "Anyways. Has it been five minutes yet, Kise?" Silence greeted her ears, making her huff in annoyance.

"Kise?" Kuro questioned, standing back up, searching the crowd for the blond model. "Where'd you g-"

"Yasuhirocchi!"

"Gah!" Kuro backed away, glaring at the ace. "Baka!" She hissed, punching his arm.

"Ite-!" He pouted, taking a cautious step away from the enraged Kuro. "I only went to get a drink..." Kise mumbled.

"I was talking to you the whole time, you jerk." Kuro glared, pausing only when he raised a bottle to her face, making the cap touch her nose.

"Drink!" Kise smiled, waving it in front of her face. "I noticed you were dying, so I thought I'd buy us drinks!"

"Thanks..." Kuro murmured, taking the shaking bottle from his hands. "I think I have cramps..." She stated suddenly.

"Cramps from what?" Kise stared at her weirdly.

"U- uhh, er, maybe from what I had for... lunch. Haha... hah... Yeah." Kuro laughed awkwardly. '_It better not be that time of the month._' She thought, twitching in anger.

"What'd you have for lunch?"

"Don't ya know curiosity killed the cat?" Kuro huffed, stomping away from the blond. She walked up to Moriyama, asking him further questions about their captain before they had to get back to jogging back to school.

OoOoO

One hour. It took nearly _one hour _to do all that jogging. If you included the five minute break, or waiting for the other slower guys.

Kuro was sweating by the time they all got back, heck, mostly every single guy there was sweating.

Which, you know, was kind of gross.

'_Being surrounded by sweaty men isn't my idea of fun._' Kuro thought, sitting on the ground as she began stretching.

"You're pretty flexible." Hayakawa stated, staring curiously at her. At least he didn't shout it or anything.

"Uh, thanks?" Kuro cocked her brow at her strange sempai.

"No problemo!" He yelled, getting up from the ground and running over to Kasamatsu, only to get flown back from the angry Captain.

Kuro stared at Kasamatsu, narrowing her eyes in deep thought. '_Why do I feel the need to expose his weirdness...? Wait, everyone already probably knows. Damn._' She didn't notice that she had been staring for a while, until she saw that his eyes were staring back into her purple orbs intently. She blinked slowly, and awkwardly turned her head away, focusing on her stretching. '_God I'm weird._' She thought, feeling her face heat up from random embarrassment.

For the last hour of the practice, they would all be playing short ten minute games, with six groups, and everyone rotating with every five minutes that passed.

Of course, this confused Kuro at first, but after her second game, she got used to it. She made her way to the third station, and wiped the sweat away as she got onto her assigned color-team-thing (She was blue). Kuro yawned loudly, getting into her position, and waiting for the ten minute game to start. Well, technically, five minute, because of the rotation.

The game started, and five minutes later, it was over. Or at least think of it as half-time, or whatever. Kuro headed to the next station, narrowing her eyes as she realized that someone had taken her position.

She grumbled to herself, and took the free one, which happened to be Center, and got ready as the whistle blew.

OoOoO

"Uuuhhu..." Kuro groaned loudly, leaning against the wall just outside the changing room. She loathed going in there, but she had to.

Slowly, Kuro entered, and immediately stumbled out, a huge blush covering her cheeks. '_WHY ARE ALL THOSE MORONS NAKED!?_' She screamed inwardly, falling to her knees as she clawed lazily at the door. '_Wait, everyone's all sweaty. So I guess that they are showering before going home. Greeeat._' Kuro stood up, and pushed the door open. '_I know! I'll just grab my things, go and change in the boy's bathroom by my class, and then I'll just go straight to the mall._' Making up her mind, she quickly entered and zoomed over to her duffel bag. She grabbed it, and turned back for the door, saying her goodbyes to those who waved to her, and left.

"I just know that one day, this will all end badly." Kuro muttered under her breath, shifting the weight of her bag as she made her way out of the gym.

OoOoO

Hmm, this chapter came pretty naturally. It just flowed out, lol, if that makes any sense.

Anyways, I went crab-trapping, or fishing. Whatever it is. My friend caught two crabs, but they were too small to keep. The second one was pretty feisty, though. xDb

~Love me or Hate me~


	13. Basket Thirteen: Tortuous Saturday

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Thirteen: Torturous Saturday

OoOoO

The week had passed by quickly, and it was now Saturday. The day of her father's Company BBQ.

Kuroi was currently in her bathroom, fixing her wig. "_I knew it_. I friggin knew it." Kuroi cursed her feminine-nature as she exited the bathroom, scowl present on her face. "Stupid time of the month, Gawd-dam-"

"Kuroi!"  
"Yes, mother?" Kuroi blinked, opening her door after she quickly made sure her wig was still on. She played with a few strands, staring at her mother curiously.

"Are you ready?" Kayate asked, giving her daughter a once over.

"Yes, as ready as I'll ever be." Kuroi replied, smiling. She closed the door behind her, and followed her mother downstairs and outside.

Mikoto was waiting inside the car, the engine rumbling quietly as he started it. "Okay, to work!" He called, pulling out of the driveway.

Kuroi nearly rolled her eyes from his excited nature, but couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face.

OoOoO

Once they arrived there, Kuroi practically hopped out of the car just as her dad had finished parking it, and ran out and over to a shorter girl.

"Yu-chan~!" Kuroi literally latched onto the short girl, who equally held onto her. "Kuro-chan~!" The girl replied, her eyes sparkling brightly in the bright sun.

"You made it!" Kuroi grinned, letting her friend go.

"I said I would! I mean, I haven't seen you since middle school!" Sayuri giggled, bouncing on her toes in excitement. "So, how's life?" She asked, pausing momentarily to wave to Kuroi's parents.

"Life's good, I suppose. I'm playing basketball, at least. That's one of the good things!" Kuroi smiled, walking away from her parents.

"I see, that's great! You always were a basketball-nut. Oh! Do your parents still think I'm bad for your health?" Sayuri blinked eagerly, taking another look at Kuroi's parents.

"Ah, yup. When I mentioned that you might be there, they started going crazy. But it's all good, because I still love you." Kuroi teased, sticking her tongue out at her rosy haired friend.

"Awww, Kuroi. I love you to." Sayuri joked, punching Kuroi's arm as she laughed along with her. She linked her arm with Kuroi's, and dragged her off.

"Which school did you transfer to, anyways? I don't think you've ever told me." Sayuri asked, changing the subject as they walked down a grassy path, that lead to the park beside the tall building, which was where the BBQ was being held.

Kuroi hummed in response, "I'm going to Kaijou." She replied quickly.

"_Kaijou? _Kaijou has a girls' basketball team?" Sayuri stopped, drifting into deep thought. Kuroi also stopped, turning to look at her friend. "Uhh, ye-"  
"Oh my _God_!" Sayuri suddenly exploded, orange eyes widened.

"Wha- what?" Kuroi's widened in shock, wondering if her cover had been blown.

"Isn't that Kise? From middle school!?" Sayuri shook Kuroi, staring intently.

"Kise?... Wait, _Kise Ryouta!?_" Kuroi paled, digging her feet into the ground. "He- hey, let's go that way..."

"No! Let's go say hi! We haven't talked to him in forever! Wait, we never even talked to him before... Well, now we have a chance!" Kuroi listened to her friend babble on about the model, as she literally dragged her over.

'_Why the hell is he here!? Last time I checked, no one under the name of 'Kise' worked here, so what the hec-_'

"Hello, Kise-kun!" Sayuri chirped, pulling Kuroi from her racing thoughts. She looked in between her friend, and her team mate.

The blond turned, blinking curiously. "Oh, hello." He greeted, eyes scanning Sayuri, before drifting to Kuroi herself. She froze, and wanted to speak, but found that her mind couldn't process any words at the moment.

Kise's eyes widened, as he pointed at her in shock. "It's you! The girl from both those times!" Kise grinned, looking like he just won a million dollars.

"'both_ of those times?_'" Sayuri quoted, raising a questioning eyebrow at Kuroi. Kuroi made a choked sound, only letting a little laugh out.  
"U- uhh, yeah. It's me... heh..."

"Kuroi, why didn't you tell me you ran into Kise!"

"Kuroi? So that's your name!" Kise smiled pleasantly, finally learning her name. "It reminds me of my other friend, Kuro! He's on the basketball team with me. It's strange, though, he suddenly transfers in, and decides to join the club... Weird, right!" Kise chuckled as he continued to talk. Kuroi could only watch helplessly as Sayuri gave her a long hard stare. The kind that usually meant that she was in trouble...

"Ne, Kuroi-chan. We need to talk. Excuse us, Kise-kun." Sayuri smiled almost too nicely, as she dragged Kuroi away, off into a clearing by a small pond that was located in the middle of the park.

"Okay! What _aren't _you telling me!?" Sayuri huffed, dropping Kuroi's hand to cross her arms.

"... Am I busted?" Kuroi winced, playing with the edge of her sleeves almost sheepishly.

"With a capital B." Sayuri emphasized. "When were you going to tell me?" She glared, a pout on her face.

"Well, maybe la-... Okay, I wasn't planning on telling _anyone_. I swear. Not even my parents." Kuroi insisted, her purple eyes burning into Sayuri's orange ones.

Sayuri's burning glare lasted only a few seconds more, before she burst out laughing. Kuroi blinked in confusion.

"I- I'm sorry, I'm not mad! You should have told me, I would have even went guy shopping with you." Sayuri giggled, nudging Kuroi's arm. Kuroi sighed in relief, and smiled slightly, although she seemed a bit shaken up still.

"Geez, woman. You scared me." Kuroi shook her head, sitting on a bench.

"So, not even Kise knows, or the whole school, for that matter?" Sayuri asked, plopping herself beside Kuroi on the bench, staring at the ripples in the pond that came from the ducks.

"Mm, not a single one of them. But, a girl knows. Her name is Riko Aida. She goes to a different school, though. Seirin. I swear, she read my vary soul." Kuroi grunted, unable to hide the giggle that escaped her lips. "She is the only one who knows. Well, now you know. So, yeah." Kuroi nodded slowly, casting her gaze towards the sky.

"Now for a girly question." Sayuri suddenly said, standing up. Kuroi followed suit, walking after her friend. "What?" She asked, still deciding on whether she wanted to what the question was or not...

"Do you like anyone on the team?" Sayuri's orange eyes glinted rather evilly in the sunlight.

Kuroi blanched, and shook her head. "No, and I'm planning to keep it that way. It'd just get in the way of basketball and school." Kuroi shrugged. She looked around as they made their way towards everyone else.

"Maybe you should just date a basketball." Sayuri grinned.

"And dump you? No way." Kuroi laughed, finding her parents in the crowd.

"Oh, Kuroi. Good timing, actually. I was looking for you. I wanted you to meet someone! He just transferred to this company, he's a real good dentist, like me." Mikoto joked, his hand patting a shoulder in mock-comfort.

"Kuroi, this is Toshiaki Kasamatsu, and his wife, Asuka, and son, Yukio. This is my daughter, Kuroi."

Kuroi's eyes widened. '_Did my dad seriously just say Kasamatsu... as in- Kasamatsu... Holy shi-_'

"Mikoto-san, you daughter is just so adorable." Kuroi's head turned to look at Asuka Kasamatsu. She blushed lightly, and looked at the ground.

'_Kasamatsu looks like his mom..._' Kuroi found herself looking directly at her team mate, who appeared to be half behind his dad, looking the other way. She studied him for a few more seconds, before turning to Sayuri.

"He's the captain." She whispered to her, frowning. Sayuri's eyes widened slightly, and she chuckled almost awkwardly.

"Well, would you look at the time! I think my mom is calling me. Goodbye, all." Sayuri said quickly, saluting them, trying to ignore Kuroi's 'take me with you' face.

"Sa- Sayuri-!..." Kuroi watched her friend bolt away, heading towards where her parents would be.

"Yukio, I think she's your age, you should try to talk to her." Kuroi twitched, turning back. '_But I can't talk to him, woman._' She thought, biting her lip as Kasamatsu turned to face her almost shyly.

"H- hi." He stuttered, nodding his head in greeting. Kuroi stared dumbfounded, only managing a little squeak.

'_Does he not recognize me from that time I bumped into him while jogging?... Well, good, let's keep it that way._' "Hey..." Kuroi cleared her throat, offering the black haired boy a smile. "I'm, uh, Kuroi."

"Yukio..." He replied, gaze focused on the ground.

'_The kicked puppy look does not suit him at all._' Kuroi decided, shaking her head. She awkwardly looked at her parents, who only smiled and turned to talk with Kasamatsu's parents. '_I hope they aren't plotting any play dates or anything._' Kuroi twitched. '_That'd be number one on my list of problems._' She mused silently.

"Sempaaiii!"

'_Scratch that, it'd be the second one. And here comes the first._' Kuroi sighed.

"Sempai, I see you've met that girl I always talked about! Kuroi, right?" Kise's never ending grin appeared, making girls around him scream.

Kuroi watched as Kasamatsu reeled his fist back only to smash it into Kise's side, easily wiping the grin from his face. "Ouch, sempai! That hurt."  
"Shut up, or I'll hit you!" Kasamatsu growled, a soft red tint on his cheeks.  
"You already hit me..." Kise moaned in pain, rubbing his side.

"Good." Kasamatsu huffed in an annoyed tone, turning his head away from the blond.

She blinked, and turned to hide her smile. It was hard not to, since she saw basically the same thing happen every day at practice.

Kasamatsu would always get mad at something Kise did, or even didn't do. It would end painfully, for Kise that is.

She cleared her throat, getting the attention of both of them, "So, uh, Kise-san, what are you doing here?" Kuroi now knew why Kasamatsu was here, but she didn't understand why Kise happened to be here.

"Hn? Oh, Kasamatsu's dad said that he could invite someone along, so he brought me!" Kise's golden yellow eyes shined in the light. "What about you?"

"I see," Kuroi nodded slowly, before coming back out of her thoughts. "Me? My dad works here. He's a dentist. He actually just transferred here a couple years ago, I believe. He still works part time as a doctor, though." Kuroi shrugged nonchalantly, figuring that the information wouldn't hurt her current situation.

"S- so... What do you do here? This is my first time coming to t- this kind of thing." Kasamatsu asked quietly, almost in a squeak.

Kuroi smiled, "Not much, actually. The older kids are sometimes instructed to keep the younger kids entertained before they get the chance to break something. They play games and such, like hide and seek, kagome kagome, tag and other things." Kuroi supplied, looking around. She wondered where Sayuri had ran off to, but barely gave it any thought as her attention was pulled back to Kasamatsu.

He was shaking a little less, which was maybe a good thing. "That's... cool." Kasamatsu muttered, gaze fixed on the ground.

Kuroi hummed in response, looking at Kise, who seemed to be distracted as he surveyed the area. "Do any of the children play any sports here?"

"Unfortunately, there's only soccer, since there's room for it." Kuroi answered, following the blonds gaze. She watched a little girl kick a small black and white soccer ball away from a slightly taller boy, successfully dashing past him.

"Kuroi-chaaaan!" Kuroi felt arms wrap around her shoulders. She turned to stare at Sayuri, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"You and your ninja-ness." Kuroi huffed, crossing her arms as she pulled out of Sayuri's grip. She looked at Kasamatsu out of the corner of her eye, noticing that he started shaking a bit.

"Sayuri, this is Kasamatsu Yukio and Kise Ryouta. Uhh, guys, this is my best friend, Sayuri Abe." Kuroi introduced, smiling at her shorter friend.

Sayuri waved childishly, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, right, my dad told me that your dad told him to tell you that all the food is ready~"

"Wait, what?" Kuroi looked at her, confused. "Then why are you here?"

"My dad told me to tell you."

"Stop talking in riddles."

"But, it's fun..." Sayuri whined, latching onto Kuroi's arm. "Anyways. It's been nice seeing you again, Kise-kun~ Nice to meet you, Kasamatsu-kun!" Sayuri yelled happily, as she dragged Kuroi away from the two boys.

"Dude, isn't your whole girl-gone-boy-act at stake? You should be more careful! I just saved you from certain death, you know." Sayuri whined again, plopping down on the wooden seat.

"Yeah, after you left me with certain death." Kuroi pouted, sitting beside Sayuri on the picnic table, which was facing the large company building.

"Geez, just be careful." Sayuri nodded quite seriously, as her mother brought two plates filled with food up to them.

"Oh, thank you, Abe-san." Kuroi smiled sweetly up at her friend's mom.

"Aww, sweetie. I told you, just call me Ayako!" Ayako giggled, patting both girls' heads before heading back to her husband, Jirou.

"Right, Ayako-san..." Kuroi blinked. "Your mom is always telling me to call her that." She chuckled, reaching for the pair of chopsticks.

Sayuri nodded, as she pulled her chopsticks apart with a little snap. "Itadakimasu~!" She sang.

Kuroi stared, before looking down at her own plate, "Itadakimasu."

OoOoO

Yey~! A chapter filled with awkwardness and friendshipness. xD

~Love me or Hate me~


	14. Basket Fourteen: Troubling News

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Fourteen: Troubling News

OoOoO

"Uwaah~ I'm stuffed!" Sayuri sighed, reaching her arms up in a stretching motion. Kuroi laughed, watching as Sayuri tried to stifle a yawn.

"Long trip?" She asked, putting the wooden chopsticks on her empty plate.

"Yeah, very long." Sayuri replied, covering her mouth as she yawned yet again. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, and swung her leg over the bench, standing. "I think my parents said that we're leaving after this."

"Aww, I'll miss you, Yu-chan." Kuroi pouted, climbing from the bench.

"I'll miss you too, Kuro-chan." Sayuri sniffled, pulling Kuroi into a big hug. "Remember to call me." She grinned.

"I though your mom took away your cell?" Kuroi blinked, tilting her head.

"Awh, that's right... Well, I'll call you, whenever I get it back!" Sayuri shrugged, giving Kuroi one last hug before she jogged off to find her parents amongst the crowd of people.

Kuroi waved, and turned to pick up their garbage. She walked to the closest garbage can, and was about to throw it in until a flying juice box landed right in the center.

She stared at the juice box before turning in the direction it came flying from. Kuroi twitched, and rolled her eyes. "Show off." She snorted, throwing the paper plates away.

"Heeeeh, I thought you liked basketball." Kise whined, running up to her.

"Yeah. Basketball. Not garbage, baka." Kuroi kept the pout on her face, crossing her arms. "Where's the c- er, Kasamatsu-san?" Kuroi wanted to slap herself.

Sayuri's words echoed in her mind briefly, before she tuned in back to Kise.

"Eh? Sempai? I think he's with his parents."

"I see. Well, I should go now, bye." Kuroi bowed her head, walking away from the model.

"Bye-bye, Kuroi-chan!" He called, waving hazardously. Kuroi sighed, as she left to go find her parents, wanting to call it a night already.

OoOoO

Kuro covered her mouth as she let a quiet yawn out, as she entered her classroom. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and took her seat just as the bell rang.

The day before, she had practically begged her dad to play basketball with her that evening after dinner. He gave in after a while, unable to resist her puppy-dog eyes.

Even though her father had zero experience in basketball, she still loved to play with him, no matter how many rules he broke, or shots he missed.

The time spent was enough for her.

OoOoO

The school day ended slowly, or it was just Kuro's imagination? All that mattered was basketball practice now.

She fixed her short ruffled bangs, and set out for the gym. As she made her way past all the rushing students, as checked her duffel bag, just to make sur-

"Yasuhirocchi!"

Kuro immediately closed her bag back up, looking both sides before resting her eyes on Kise. "What?" She huffed, nearly forgetting to lower her pitch.

"I met that girl again, at Kasamatsu's dad's BBQ thingy! But, this time, I found out her name. It's Kuroi, isn't it pretty?"

"No..." Kuro coughed, flinging her duffel bag on her left shoulder as she and Kise both entered the gym.

"Well, I think it is." Kise mused quite loudly, his duffel bag dropping from his shoulder into his hand.

"Then stop thinking, baka." Kuro stuck her tongue out, pushing past Kise to be the first inside the locker rooms. She quickly went into a corner and neatly placed her duffel bag there. She stripped her uniform off, revealing shorts and a t-shirt.

Kise raised his eyebrow, "You changed beforehand?"

"Yeah, I just can't wait." Kuro supplied, pushing past the model once again to exit the changing room, thankfully not blinded by any manly-parts this time.

By the time everyone was already changed and out, Kasamatsu had walked up, talking to Kuro as if it was another casual day.

It still surprised her (more like amazed), how he could change from being so... macho, to being a little shy puppy.

Oh, if only Kasamatsu knew.

The thought made her laugh, making him send a glare at her. Kuro quieted, and stuck her hands behind her back, waiting for Kasamatsu to start talking after he gathered everyone up.

"Alright, listen up, everyone!" He hollered, voice echoing in the large gymnasium. "As you all know, we'll be having a four-day long weekend, because of no school on Friday _or_ Monday. So, we'll all be going on a trip!"

Kuro winced, listening to all the sudden hushed whispers. She took a deep breath and sighed, trying to calm her racing thoughts.

"We will be training during those four days, and on Friday, we shall be having a practice match against Seika High! You could pick up the slips from Coach after practice. Have your parents sign them, and return them to Coach or me tomorrow or the next day, that is all!" Kasamatsu bellowed, turning away from everyone to get started with practice.

Kuro felt lost, and her heart beat was loud in her ears. She calmed her thoughts once more, and ran up to Kasamatsu.

"Uhmm, Kasamatsu-sempai..." She started, poking the captain to get his attention.

"What is it?" He asked, turning to her with three orange balls in hand.

"W- Well. You said that we're facing Seika... The school I went too previously?" Kuro cleared her throat, voice nearly dying on her as she tried to speak.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Re- Remember I said that they were really weak-? Couldn't you possibly arrange a practice match with ano-"  
"Baka!" Kasamatsu huffed, jabbing her side. Kuro twitched in pain, and rubbed her sore ribcage slowly. "If they are so weak, then you'll have no problem defeating them, right?"

"Right..." Kuro sighed as she shoulders sagged; watching helplessly as Kasamatsu stomped away, calling orders to everyone who had just finished with stretches. "Right." Kuro said once more, wondering briefly if she was trying to convince him, or herself.  
OoOoO

Kuroi collapsed on her bed, arm covering her eyes from the light that flooded in from her window. In her other hand was the form, which need to be signed by her parents, to ok it if she could go to the four day training-trip.

The white page was crumped a bit from her squeezing it too hard.

Kuroi let a shaky sigh out, as she turned on her side, moving her arm away from her face so she could stare at the paper. She licked her lips, and gaze it another long hard stare, before letting it fall to the ground.

She flipped away, facing the window. The young girl watched the tree outside her window gently sway in the wind, before letting her eyes drift closed.

OoOoO

Oh mah Gawd- This is getting exciting (maybe a bit sad). Or is it just me...? :'D Oh, btw, sorry this chapter is like, mega-short... The next one will be better~?

~Love me or Hate me~


	15. Basket Fifteen: The Beginning

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Fifteen: The Beginning

OoOoO

"Mom, I don't know what to do..." Kuroi dragged an exasperated sigh out, playing with the folded edge of the paper.

Kayate turned away from the stove, giving her daughter a studying look, before turning back. "About?" She questioned quietly.

"I don't know... About everything, I suppose."

"Well, maybe you should do what you think is right. Does this have to do with basketball?" She added after a moment.

Kuroi stayed silent, wondering how mothers knew everything.

"Maybe you don't want to let your friends down? But at the same time you don't want them to think any different of you?"

"Okay, seriously. Are you reading my mind or something?" Kuroi blinked, giving her mother a worried stare. Kayate chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"I'm your mother. Of course I know what's bothering my baby." She simply replied, opening the lid of a pot, stirring whatever it was inside.

"Ah... Thanks?" Kuroi cracked a smile, resting her head in her crossed arms. Her eyes traveled down to the crinkled form, staring at it for a couple seconds.

"Okay, I've decided," Kuroi stood, the chair scratching against the ground. "I'm going. So, please sign this!" She announced, holding the form out for her mother to sign. "Dad can sign it if he needs to when he returns." She added, grabbing a pen for her mom.

"Oh, Kuroi. This paper is all crumpled," Her mother sighed, taking the form away from her daughter's hands, and tried her best to straighten it, if only a little. "You should take better care of your things."  
"I know..." Kuroi pouted as she was scolded by her mom. She watched as her mother signed the form after straightening some of the wrinkles out, and took the paper from her hand. "Thanks." Kuroi said, getting up from the table.

Kuroi walked out from the kitchen, and up to her room.

"Dinner will be ready soon, so wash up!" Kayate called up the stairs, just before Kuroi had a chance to shut her door.

"Alright!" Kuroi replied, closing her door with a gentle click. She tore her wig off, and threw it on her desk. She walked into her bathroom, and washed her face along with her hands.

'_Why do I feel like this weekend will end badly?_' Kuroi thought dreadfully, walking out of her bathroom to put her wig back on. She hesitantly walked downstairs, and into the kitchen, where her mother was busy plating food.

OoOoO

The next day, Kuro was slowly making her way to school. She had just gotten off the train, and began to walk the rest of the way. She tugged at the ruffled strands of her short hair, in deep thought.

'_It's bugging me... a lot._' She thought, frowning.

"Yasuhirocchi~!" Kuro blinked, and looked behind her to see Kise running up. "Hey, Kise." Kuro nodded at him, not even feeling surprised that he seemingly came out of nowhere.

The golden haired boy blinked, "What's wrong, Yasuhirocchi? You sound all sad and dejected." He pouted, walking up beside Kuro.

"Eh?" Kuro blinked, coughing only a moment later. "Sorry, I was just thinking, is all."

"Oh!" Kise smiled again, "Did you get your form signed?" He asked rather loudly, collecting stares from passing students.

Kuro winced at the loudness, and nodded a moment after. "Yeah, I did. You?" Kuro glanced down at her duffel bag, knowing the paper was shoved somewhere inside there. Hopefully it didn't get a crinkled again.

"Yup! I remember in middle school, I tried to forge my parent's signatures, and Akashicchi got really mad at me." Kise chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Kuro smiled at the memory Kise had shared. "Akashi-san... Sounds strict?" She guessed, finally spotting the school gates in sight.

"Yeah, sometimes he was. He liked his scissors, though..." Kuro watched as Kise shuddered slightly at that. She chuckled lightly. She stopped when she heard a buzzing sound coming from her bag. Kuro reached inside and dug around for her cell phone, before pulling it out.

'_Maybe Sayuri got her cell back fro-... Riko-chan?_' Kuro blinked, reading the text over.

'_KUROOIIII-CHAAN! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ABOUT ME!?_' Kuro cracked a small smile, as she put together her reply.

'_No I haven't forgotten about you, Riko-chan. I was just really busy on the weekend. My cover was nearly blown, actually._' She hit the send button, and held onto her phone as she continued walking.

"Who was that?" Kuro almost jumped out of her skin, turning to look at Kise. "You were still there?" She asked quietly, still shocked.

"Yeah, I was here the whole time... I feel like Kurokocchi saying that..." Kise shook his head, smiling innocently. "Was that your girlfriend?"

"Uh, no. It's Riko-chan..."  
"Riko-chan?"

"Err, the Captain of Seirin?" Kuro supplied, shrugging.

"Oh! The one with small chest!" Kise looked weirdly awe-struck.

Kuro's cell buzzed again at the moment, and she pulled up the text to read it.

'_Why do I feel like someone is talking about my small chest!?_' Kuro chuckled awkwardly.

'_I don't know..._' She sent her reply, and looked back at Kise. "You shouldn't talk about girls' boobs so casually." Kuro sighed, entering the school. She walked down the familiar hallway, towards her class.

"Goodbye, Yasuhirocchi!" Kise waved quite dramatically, making Kuro face palm as she walked into her classroom, sitting in her seat.

Kuro glanced up at the clock, and sighed. There was still six minutes till school actually started. But maybe it was a good thing, because she felt her phone buzz again.

She read Riko's reply, and decided to tell her about what had happened on Sunday.

OoOoO

Wednesday and Thursday had flown by pretty fast, ending with Kuro standing at the front gates of the school, waiting in the early morning cold.

She sneezed, nearly dropping her bag in the process. Her duffel bag, which contained four days' worth of clothing, her tooth brush, hair brush, and some money. Yes, today was Friday; the beginning of the four day training camp-thing, and it was 4:45 in the morning.

She shivered slightly, remembering her mother telling her the day before to wear her hat before she left. Kuro wished she would have listened, but she may have been too busy freaking out to remember at all.

Her cold fingers reached up and slowly played with strands of short black hair. She had left her wig behind, because one; She didn't need it for the next four days, and two; ... Well, there wasn't really a second option, because she plainly did not need it.

'_Why am I the first one here?_' Kuro thought, closing her eyes. She shoved her hands into her jacket pocket, trying to keep the cold away. '_And why are mornings so cold?_' She sighed, leaning against the gate.

A couple minutes later, she heard shoes scraping against the ground. Her eyes snapped open, glaring at the annoying sound. "Ah," Her glare melted, staring at the spiky haired Captain. "Kasamatsu-sempai."

"Morning." Kasamatsu said, looking tired.

"Good Morning." Kuro replied, taking a step away so Kasamatsu could lean against the gate.

"There's nothing good about it." He sighed, yawning. Kuro smiled, and just shrugged in response. "Anyways, how long have you been here?"

"Since 4:30 or something..." Kuro answered, looking towards the dark sky.

"Jeez, you know I said 5:00, right?" He quieted another yawn with his hand, eyes shut as he breathed in deeply.

"The train. If I took the later one, I would have been late." She shrugged again. "I don't want to be late." She added.

"Good." Kasamatsu grunted quietly.

"So, heheh... Training camp. Sounds like fun... and Death." Kuro winced, practically able to feel the pain.

Kasamatsu smirked at her, crossing his arms. "It will be Death." He noted, making Kuro groan. Her thoughts about what the training would be like were interrupted by voices suddenly filling her ears. She turned and stared at the group walking up.

Kise, Hayakawa, Moriyama, Nakamura, Kobori, and a couple other second years all walked up.

"You're all late." Kasamatsu glared, pushing himself away from the wall.

"Morning." Kuro bowed her head, following Kasamatsu's suit as they all flooded into a circle.

"Ehhh! We're only late by five minutes!" Kise whined after he checked his cell. He pouted as he put it back in his pocket, zipping his jacket up further.

"Crispy mornings suck." Kise grumbled, shivering ever so slightly. Kasamatsu kicked Kise, nearly sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Moron! You should dress warmer, or I'll hit you!" Kasamatsu nagged, sending the Ace an intense glare.

"Se- Sempai, you already did hit me..." Kise wailed as he closed his eyes out of fear of getting hit again. "Besides, the other first and second years are late!" He shielded himself just in case.

"I already know they are, and they shall all suffer for it." Kasamatsu's smirk only deepened.

"He's plotting." Kuro heard Moriyama whisper to Kobori, who only nodded silently. She blinked, and looked up at Kasamatsu, who seemingly heard nothing from the two.

About twenty minutes later, everyone was finally gathered. Now, they only had to wait for the bus, which was supposed to be there are 5:30.

Kuro yawned loudly, bending forward in a stretch. She had been up since three in the morning. Her worried state would not let her sleep peacefully. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, and was about to sit on the ground since she was tired of standing, but then the bus drove up, honking three times.

She jolted, and stood back up, coughing. Kuro grabbed her duffel and scooted into the 'single file line' that Kasamatsu had started, and slowly began moving onto the large bus.

Now that Kuro got a better look at it, the bus wasn't an average school bus, but a nice looking expensive bus. She raised her brow at it as she stepped inside, a fancy looking butler-guy taking her bag to put it in the side of the bus.

She sat at the very front, which had four seats all together, two on each side, facing each other. She chose the one facing the front, beside the window. Kise hopped onto the bus, and plopped himself right beside her with a huge grin on his face. "Do you like it?" He asked almost impatiently.

"Like what?" Kuro questioned, looking around in case she missed something.

"The bus!"

"Oh, it's nice." Her purple orbs flitted back to Kise's golden eyes, nodding slowly.

"I told my parents about the weekend training camp, and since they adore sempai so much they decided to borrow him the bus!" Kise stated, making himself more comfortable in his chair.

"They... adore Kasamatsu-sempai?" Kuro chuckled, shaking her head, almost finding it hard to believe.

"Yup! I think it's because he keeps me in check." Kise laughed, kicking his feet up on the opposite chair.

Kasamatsu was the last one on the bus. He stopped only momentarily to talk to the bus driver, and then he twirled around. He scanned the entire bus, mentally counting to make sure that everyone was accounted for.

Kasamatsu kicked Kise's legs aside, ignoring his cry of shock, and sat opposite of Kuro, staring intently out the window.

"Jeez, Kasamatsu-sempai!" Kise whined, rubbing his knee softly. Kasamatsu, to distracted by the moving trees, didn't reply to Kise.

This made both Kuro and Kise blink, as they shared a curious look. Kuro only shrugged, and leaned back into the soft cushioning of the chair.

It was so soft that she could just fall asleep.

"Ah, Kasamatsu-sempai," Kuro sat up straight, reaching forward to poke the older boy. Once she got his attention, she continued, "I was wondering, how long it will take to get there?" She asked, leaning back again.

Kasamatsu stared blankly for a moment, before the question finally registered in his head. "I believe three hours." He nodded, turning his head back out the window.

Kuro nodded, and also turned her head to look out the window. '_I guess a couple hours of sleep won't do any harm..._' She thought, closing her eyes as the bus rumbled gently.

OoOoO

Sorry it took so long, I was busy the last couple days! OTL~ *coughCaughtsevencrabscoughcough* :D lol.

Again, thanks for reading and everything! ^^

~Love me or Hate me~


	16. Basket Sixteen: The Stay: Part One

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Sixteen: The Stay {Part One}

OoOoO

"-_Cchi_!"

"Yasuhirocchi!" Kuro's head bobbed before her eyes snapped open. She looked around, before resting her gaze on Kise. "Wha-..." She stretched, yawning.

"We're here!" He said, nodding out the window.

"Oh... _Oh_." Kuro managed to collect her thoughts, remembering just where she was. '_I guess I was having a dream that wasn't really a dream... of me wanting it to be a dream?_' She made a face, trying to organize her thoughts.

"Uhh, hi. What time is it?" She asked after a moment, reaching forward to touch her toes.  
"It's almost eight!" Kise said, holding up his red cellphone.

"Great..." Kuro yawned, rubbing her eyes. She stood up, and shuffled off the bus, behind Kise. Kasamatsu was the first one out, and was (yet again) making sure that everyone was there.

'_It's not like we can get lost on a bus._' Kuro thought, glaring at the ground. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was in a mood. This didn't make sense, since that part of the month had passed during the week...

Either way, she felt grouchy.

Kuro yawned again, looking at everyone's faces. The strange butler-looking guy took all their bags out, and bowed respectively at Kise before disappearing back on the bus.

She quickly grabbed her duffel bag and waited for everyone to collect their things before Kasamatsu showed them the way. He never told them where they would be staying, but at least Kuro knew that they weren't camping out in the cold.

Kasamatsu motioned for everyone to follow him, as he entered a small town that looked half deserted. The air surrounding them made Kuro shudder a bit, wondering if this was secretly a murder town or something. She sped up her pace, walking beside the Captain.

"So, where are we staying at?" She asked quietly, her purple eyes scanning the area for any possibly danger.

"Just up that hill, there's a nice hotel called the Akai Sora."

"Red Sky!? Doesn't that sound a bit... creepy? It's even at the top of a hi-" Kuro cut herself off, her gaze following the path that led to the top of this hill. "It's not even a hill!" Kuro groaned, staring at the supposed hill, which was actually a mountain. She was sure of it.

"Who cares how high it is, I'll hit you!" Kasamatsu's threat rang in her ears, as he kicked her side, nearly sending her tumbling backwards. Luckily, she regained her balance, and took a couple steps away from him, silently raging. "You already did hit me..." She muttered, suddenly feeling like Kise.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, sempai!" Kuro put on a rather fake looking smile, and just fell in step with Kise, who looked like he was sleep walking. She stared at him, before elbowing him.

Kise made a weird noise, and looked around tiredly. "Wha-... Oh! We're almost there." He grinned.

"Yup." Kuro sighed, kicking at a small rock. She studied the various stores and houses they passed, curious but also alert as they made their way up the mountain.

"Have you ever been here before?" Kise asked, double-taking when he thought he saw a person.

Kuro shook her head, "Nope. You?"

"Yeah, when I was younger. My mom is actually friends with the owner of Akai Sora. So, she brought me along whenever she visited. I like the hot springs and the basketball courts!"

"Cool, baske- _hot springs!?_" Kuro thought she was about to pass out. Kise nodded furiously. "Yeah! The hot springs is the best part! Well, next to the basketball courts. But it's really relaxing after practice!" Kise sparkled, just by thinking about it. "We should go, Yasuhirocchi!" His grin only widened.

"I- I think I'm gonna faint-" Kuro groaned out, stopping to take a couple deep breaths.

"Ehhh! Don't die on me, Yasuhirocchi!" Kise cried, shaking her by the shoulders, which only made her dizzy. It didn't help her situation at all.

"I'll b- be okay..." Kuro wheezed, watching the world come back into focus as Kise stopped shaking her. She grabbed her head, and cleared her racing thoughts.

"Alright..." Kise didn't sound so convinced, and kept a firm eye on her as they finally made it to the top.

Lo and behold, a fancy-looking hotel was just fifty feet away, almost hidden by a garden full of beautiful flowers. It even had a large fountain in the middle of it.

It was almost something that Kuro had not expected. To go with the creepy looking town, she had pictured a run-down decaying hotel, filled with dead flowers and random blood stains on the outside walls, maybe even a few zombies.

Kise smiled at her surprised look, and dragged her through the garden and inside with everybody else.

"Ryouta-chan!" Kuro snapped out of her stupor, and blinked at a lady who ran up, enveloping Kise in her arms. Kuro almost felt bad for Kise the way his head ended up in the older women's cleavage. Almost.

Instead, she snickered, and turned away to inspect the wonderfully decorated interior. Everyone was in awe, even Kasamatsu looked impressed.

The women ended her cooing and eventually gave them all a short tour of the place, showing them where the bathrooms were located, the main eating hall, the gym, an entertainment room, and the outside, where a basketball court, baseball diamond, soccer field, and swimming pool was located. Attached to the other side of the building, was a smaller one, where the hot springs was located. There were a boys and girls one, and finally a mixed one, which Kuro felt faint at, just by looking at it.

Afterwards, Kasamatsu had gathered them all back in the lobby, a paper in his hands. "This paper has all of your names on it. Along with who your roommates will be for this stay. The coach had picked them himself, so you aren't allowed to switch. There are four people to a room." He said, turning the paper to look at it.

"Room 201; Nakamura, Hayakawa, Akihiro, and Hideo. Room 202; Yasuhiro, Kise, Hotaka, and me. Room 203-"

Kuro made a choked noise, twitching. '_You can't be serious... I have to stay in a room with _both _of them!? Plus some random guy I never knew existed?!_' Kuro sighed, frowning at her horrible luck. She felt bad about that last part, but didn't really give a crap about the guy in the end.

After Kasamatsu finished reading the rooming arrangements, he sent everyone to put their bags in the room, and told them all to meet in the gym by 9:30.

Kuro had no choice but the follow Kasamatsu along with Kise and Hotaka to the second floor, to room 202. She entered the room after Kasamatsu, arching her eyebrows at the interior. It had a small lounge/living room area when you first walk in, and then a small kitchen room located on the left, with a circular dining table, and a hallway which had a door on each side, and a door at the end.

"Alright, I believe the door at the end leads into the bathroom, and there are two to a room. So pick whatever." Kasamatsu said, sounding disinterested as he placed his bag on the ground to stretch.

"I call rooming with Yasuhirocchi!"

"Eh! B- But, can't we decide by rock-paper-scissors!?" Kuro stuttered, waving her hands around. She'd rather share a room with Hotaka, because there would be less a chance of Kasamatsu or Kise finding out.

"Yeah, rock-paper-scissors sounds good!" Hotaka said, walking up.

'_He probably just didn't want to get stuck with the Captain._' Kuro thought as she put her fist up, waiting for Hotaka, Kise, and Kasamatsu to do the same. Hotaka followed closely after her, and nudged for Kise to do the same.

Kise pouted, and slowly put his fist in the middle. The three looked at Kasamatsu, who was staring at them as if they were children. He gave a heavy sigh, and joined them.

"Rock-paper-scissors-!"

OoOoO

After the rock-paper-scissors match, Kise was standing in the room on the right, grinning widely, with Kuro sulking on the bed closest to the window, which over-looked the sports fields in the back. '_Not fair..._' She whined inwardly, face buried in her hands. She glanced at the clock, pausing momentarily to glare at Kise's victorious look, and sighed. It was almost 9:30. They had to go down to the gym.

"We should get going now, Kise." Kuro said, standing up slowly. After her loss of RPS, her mood had decreased from rage to sadness.

Kise nodded, and lead the way out of their room, smiling innocently at Hotaka who looked as sad as Kuro did. Hotaka only sneered at Kise, and trudged out into the hallway.

At least he still had fight in him.

Kuro, Kise, Kasamatsu, and Hotaka were the second ones there, room 205 (Moriyama, and some other second years who Kuro didn't know) had beaten them.

Kuro's mood went up a bit, as she studied all the equipment inside the gym. Treadmills, stair steppers, those bike-things that Kuro had-no-idea-as-to-what-they-were-called, exercise balls, weights, and a few other machines Kuro never knew existed- were inside the gym. Large mirrors covered up almost all the walls, except for the wall where the door was located on. Instead it had pictures and other things littering the wall, along with a TV and stereo which were also probably used for working out.

Everyone else began to shuffle in, making noises of awe and such as the inspected all the expensive machines and equipment.

"Alright, for the next two hours, we will be using these machines to exercise! After that, you'll be excused till lunch, which is at 12:00! So you'll have half an hour to shower or do whatever." Kasamatsu bellowed, motioning for everyone to begin.

Kuro wordlessly walked up to a blue mat, and began to stretch before she went on any of the machines.

OoOoO

After a tiring two hours, Kuro wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and shuffled out of the gym and walked upstairs to her room. Some of them had stayed behind, and some probably went off to explore or take showers to rid of the smelliness, which was exactly what Kuro wanted to do.

She left before Kise, Kasamatsu, and Hotaka had, so she'll get to use to bathroom first, which was good, because she can't possibly use the shower rooms for obvious reasons.

Kuro quietly entered her shared room with Kise, grabbing a change of clothes, and went back into the hall and into the bathroom to take her shower, making sure to lock the door behind her.

OoOoO

After her shower, Kuro was now back downstairs, in the large dining hall. She didn't know if it could actually be called a dining hall, since it looked like an average cafeteria, but slightly more expensive looking and with better food.

Either way, here she was, sitting at a table with nine other guys. Kise, Kasamatsu, and Hotaka among the horde of hungry teenagers. She poked at her food, realizing that she wasn't all that hungry. Kuro ate anyways, knowing she wouldn't feel any better later on if she didn't eat anything now that she had the chance to.

Kuro finished what she could, and took her tray to the front where they were told to leave the dirty dishes, and went back upstairs to their room. She sat down and turned the TV on, deciding to watch a random horror movie until it was time to meet up with everyone.

She still had forty minutes tell they all left to go for a jog around town. Kuro was kind of freaked out for the jog, because the town was still scary looking to her. So had to be on guard incase anything-

_BANG._

The door swung open, a loud bang resounding off the wall. Kuro yelped and fell off the couch, arms flailing. She ended up smacking her head on the wooden coffee table, then landing on her arm.

"Waah! Yasuhirocchi! Are you okay?" Kise gaped, running up to her aid. Kuro groaned, rolling off of her arm as she used her free hand to rub at her head.

She inspected her fingers, paling at the little bit of blood that stained her tips of her fingers. '_So that's why it hurt..._' She thought slowly, blank look on her face.

"You- you're bleeding!" Kise gasped, grabbing her hand which was stained red on her fingertips. "Seempai, help me!" Kise wailed, carefully pulling Kuro up off the ground.

Kuro blinked, and watched as Kasamatsu rushed inside, followed by Hotaka. "What happened!?" Kasamatsu demanded, noticing the blood on Kuro's fingers.

"I think I scared him... and he kind of fell off the couch and bashed his head on the coffee table." Kise explained, hands still clutching Kuro's shoulders.

"I- I'm good. The scary movie... then yeah, Kise scared me..." Kuro chuckled, hand drifting back to her wound. She checked again for more blood, but there wasn't a lot at least.

"Okay, maybe we should check for a concussion." Kasamatsu nodded, going into his and Hotaka's room where a flashlight was located. He came back a moment later, with a white flashlight in his hands. He crouched in front of Kuro, and held it up to her eyes.

"Good, your pupils are reacting. Hmm, do you feel tired or like you're going to be sick?"

Kuro shook her head, leaning back on the couch. "I feel fine, sempai." She smiled. "I think I just scratched my head a bit... Or something." Kuro shrugged, watching Kasamatsu put the flashlight down.

"... Do you know your name?"

"... Yasuhiro Kuro."

"My name?"

"Kasamatsu Yukio."

"Alright... But just to be sure, you're going to stay here and rest! Or I'll hit you." Kasamatsu added, glaring as he crossed his arms.

Kuro nodded, rubbing her head to ease the pain away. "I think the bleeding stopped..." She mumbled, checking her fingers again. It was all dried blood by now, which was good.

Kasamatsu nodded as he stood up. "I'll get you some ice." The captain walked into the kitchen, coming back a few minutes later with a baggy full of ice cubes.

"Thanks." Kuro nodded, taking the bag and putting it to her head. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry..." She added a second later.

"It's fine. Just get better." Kasamatsu let a rare smile show, patting her shoulder. "I'm still debating if one of us should stay here with you..." Kasamatsu narrowed his eyes, smile disappearing from his face as if it was never there in the first place.

Kuro shook her head, "No, really. I'm fine, sempai!" Kuro gave the older boy a reassuring smile, motioning for them to leave for their jog around town.

Kasamatsu sighed, clearly not convinced. "Fine, but I'm still responsible for you. So if you're going to die, do it when we return. Or-"  
"Or you'll hit me? Got it." Kuro laughed lightly, giving her sempai a thumbs up.

"Uwaah- Yasuhirocchi has a death wish!" Kise laughed, poking Kuro's cheek. "We'll see you later, Yasuhirocchi!" Kise called as he went into their room. He came out a minute later, changed into shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt.

Kasamatsu was already changed, and let Hotaka change before the three took off. "We'll be back at 3:30." Kasamatsu said, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Kuro stared at the door for a few moments, before turning back to the TV. "It's your entire fault." She huffed, turning the horror movie off.

"I have two hours and a half to kill... What should I do?" She asked out loud, staring at the ceiling in deep thought.

OoOoO

Kuro had eventually ended up in her room, staring out the window, until she fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was 3:17. She yawned and stretched, remembering that Kise and the others wouldn't return until 3:30. Sitting up slowly, Kuro also remembered the dried blood, and felt rather gross.

She decided to take a bath, and got up and entered the bathroom after checking the living room area.

Kuro sleepily filled the tub with warm water, and stripped her clothes off. She stared at the bandages, wondering if she should change them after. Making up her mind, she eased herself inside the tub. She sighed contently, and lay against the back, closing her eyes.

After her wondrous bath, she put her clothes back on after drying off and quickly went into her room, towel hanging loosely from around her neck. Kuro dug through her bag without bothering to check what time it was, and threw her towel on her bed. She smiled when she found new bandages. Kuro left her room and went back into the bathroom, closing the door behind her, and pulled her shirt up enough so she could begin to wrap the fresh ones around her chest.

So entranced with the wrapping (it had to be nice and neat, so no one suspected anything) that she didn't hear the front door open, or the footsteps that were so soft in the hallway, or the small creak of protest the bathroom door gave when someone entered.

No, it was the sharp gasp that caused her to turn around, eyes wide with worry and shock, on who it was who opened the door on her...

OoOoO

Nuuu, poor Kuro!

Oh, I actually had something I need to ask all of you who read this (horrid) story!

I can't decide who should be the one finding out about Kuro's secret- Should it be Kise or Kasamatsu!? Because I know some of you like the Kise/Kuro interactions, and some like the Kasamatsu/Kuro moments- So I need some help deciding who should find out first!

If you could go onto my page and vote in my poll, that'd be awesome! Thank you~!

(And Yey! Longest chapter yet!)

~Love me or Hate me~


	17. Basket Seventeen: The Stay: Part Two

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Seventeen: The Stay {Part Two}

OoOoO

Kuro turned her head in fear, her heart literally skipping a beat, her stomach sinking, a lump forming in her throat as her eyes landed on Kasamatsu.

Her eyes immediately drifted to the black hair of her teammate, and then her eyes went straight to his grayish-blue eyes.

Kuro's voice caught in her throat, and nothing came out. She wanted so badly to scream '_This isn't what it looks like_!' or maybe even '_Get out_!'... But the words wouldn't come out, and she was left to helplessly stare as Kasamatsu could only blankly stare at her in shock.

"I- I'm sorry!" Kasamatsu struggled out, voice cracking.

"Wa- wait!" Kuro cried, yanking her shirt back down as she tried to chase Kasamatsu down. She only ended up tripping over her own two feet, landing on her knees rather painfully.

"Kasamatsu!_ Wait_, I said!" Kuro yelled, followed him into his room. Kasamatsu stopped, eyes cast on the ground as a soft blush was splayed on his face. "I'm sorry, b- but,_ please_, just listen to me first!" Kuro pleaded, voice wavering as tears threatened to prick her eyes.

Kasamatsu only stood there, biting his lip as if he was in deep thought. Kuro waited a moment, before she realized that he wasn't going to say anything. She sighed, and walked over to the bed, collapsing on it.

"My name is actually Yasuhiro Kuroi... Not Kuro. And yeah, I- I'm... a girl..." Kuroi murmured, her gaze intently focused on the vanilla carpet.

"Why?" Kasamatsu asked, almost so quietly that Kuroi couldn't hear him.

"Because, I just _really_ love basketball... What I said about Seika, my school, it's partly true, I was actually on the girls' basketball team, but they really did suck." Kuroi chuckled awkwardly, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes never once meeting Kasamatsu's.

The silence was killing her, and for some reason, it made her head throb painfully (or was it just when she banged her head on the coffee table?). Her heart skipped another beat, as she took the silence as a chance to look up at Kasamatsu's face when she heard him turning around to face her.

Kasamatsu's cheeks were a shade of red and pink, as his gaze landed on her. Kuroi's eyes widened slightly, as she felt her own cheeks heat up. She quickly looked away, frowning as she touched her cheeks.

'_Why's my face heating up... He's like, the third person to know. Well, he _is _the first _guy_ to know my secret._' Kuroi whimpered, looking away from Kasamatsu.

She curiously looked back up, watching as his grayish-blue orbs darted to her than anywhere else but her. He cleared his throat, slowly sitting down on the bed, his hands gripping the sheets so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"So," Kasamatsu started, pausing only to lick his lips. Kuroi kept her eyes on him, waiting for him to continue. "You're a girl... Even all those times?" Kasamatsu winced, looking as if it was still hard to believe.

"Yeah... Sorry about that." Kuroi ducked her head, staring at her lap which her hands were now resting on. "I... I understand if you want me off the team..." Kuroi mumbled softly, shutting her eyes as she waited to be yelled at.

Yet, the only noise she could hear was the soft breathing coming from both Kasamatsu and her.

Finally, Kasamatsu spoke, well, more like made a noise, which sounded like a scoff. "Kick you off the team? Just because you're a girl," He sighed, "You're going to have to tell everyone else, because they deserve to know as well. I mean, we are a team, after all." That rare sweet smile spread across his face, making Kuroi's heart speed up a tad.

"Do- does that mean... ?"

"Yeah, you can stay... But if you get found out, it's not just _you _who'll be in trouble. It'll be all of us." Kasamatsu said seriously, turning his head to look out the window.

"Wait, what about Coach?" Kuroi asked softly, breathing deeply to calm her heart.

"Mm, we'll tell him when we return. He's understanding like that." Kasamatsu nodded, thoughts drifting back to his second year in highschool. He shook his head to rid of the flooding memories, and instead looked back at Kuroi.

"Well, I guess I should go tell the others..." Kuroi announced, standing up. Kasamatsu followed suit, standing up also. He scratched his head awkwardly, staring at the ground as his cheeks turned red again. "D- Do you need some help?" He asked in a stutter, making Kuroi smile.

"Sure... Thanks, sempai!" Kuroi grinned, wrapping her arms around Kasamatsu's neck in a hug.

"Yo- y- you're wel- welco- come!" Kasamatsu shut his eyes, shaking slightly. He only managed to pat her back in his shaking state.

Kuroi pulled away, smiling slyly. "Don't worry, sempai. I'm still the same as before! You don't have to treat me any different." She assured, "And, I'll even help you with your fear of girls!" Kuroi gave him a thumbs up, grinning cheekily.

"I- I... yeah..." Kasamatsu gave up his part of the argument, already knowing that Kuroi was right. He didn't know if it could be called a fear, though, he just couldn't handle girls for some reason.

"So not looking forward to this..." Kuroi groaned, running her fingers through her short strands of black hair. "Well, better to get it over with." She grunted, snickering as Kasamatsu took a couple steps back from her.

"I should probably be offended, but it's too funny." Kuroi hummed, watching as Kasamatsu looked slightly sorry with a hint of shame.

Kuroi stepped out of the room, then into the living room area. She saw Kise and Hotaka sitting on the couch, with Hotaka nearly passed out.

Kuroi met Kise's eyes, and saw that they held worry in them. She suddenly felt very self-conscious, and cast her gaze to the ground, before looking at Kasamatsu.

Kasamatsu cleared his throat, making Hotaka snap out of his half-dead trance. Kise only stared, silently waiting for someone to say something.

"Uhm... I have news? No, more like... a secret... to tell everyone." Kuroi coughed, nearly losing her voice for a moment. She licked her lips, and slowly looked at Kise, practically pushing Hotaka's curious stare out of the way.

"I'm a... girl." Kuroi has her eyes shut, too afraid of what their reactions would be. '_Would Kise hate me forever?_' The thought raced through her head, as she just stood there, listening to the shaking trees blown by the soft wind.

"Yasuhirocchi... is a girl?" Kuroi finally mustered up the courage to open her eye just a crack, and saw that Kise looked somewhat shocked, yet relieved in a way. Hotaka was weirdly staring in awe.

She gave a small nod, and waited awkwardly, for anything to happen. A couple minutes passed, and Kuroi sighed, not particular in relief.

"So..." She looked at Kasamatsu, who had his hands on his hips. He only shrugged, pausing momentarily to blush and turn away almost shyly.

At least it made Kuroi feel somewhat better, if anything.

Kuroi nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Kise start laughing. It wasn't a soft kind of laugh; it was an all-out crazed scientist kind of laugh. Her good feeling dropped, and was replaced with confusion. She scratched her head, wondering if Kise had finally snapped or something.

"Uhm-"

"Yasuhirocchi! You're a girl!" Kise burst out, remains of giggles echoing in the room.

"Ye- yeah... I'm sorry. For everything." Kuroi bowed, staring at the carpet. "My name is really Kuroi... Last name is the same, though." Kuroi laughed awkwardly.

"Why?" Kise suddenly asked.  
"Why... what?" Kuroi blinked, still confused.

"Why are you sorry?"  
"Well, for lying. For... being something that I'm not. For hurting you, tricking you, transferring schools, joining the baske-"

"Don't say that!" Kise snapped, suddenly standing on his feet.

Kuroi flinched away as Kise took a couple steps up to her. She closed her eyes, waiting to be hit or something, as she saw Kise's hands shoot up.

She breathed a sigh of relief when he grabbed her shoulders, and didn't punch her or slap her.

"You're good at basketball!" Kise argued, shaking Kuroi's shoulders gently. "You shouldn't be sorry for anything! Who cares if you lied, you're telling the truth now, right? And that's better than just saying nothing and leaving it like this forever! I'm glad I got to know you! And I don't care if you're really a girl or not, cause you're still Yasuhirocchi to me!"

Kuroi stared, tears forming in her eyes. "Do you really mean that... ?" She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, ignoring the way her voice broke as she stared into Kise's strong gaze.

"Of course." Kise's voice was soft to her ears, as she nodded slowly, lowering her gaze to the floor. "Okay." Kuroi smiled, laughing as she wiped away her tears.

"Uhm, do you still want me here, Kasamatsu-sempai?"

"Wh- why wouldn't I?... I- I mean, why wouldn't we!?" Kasamatsu huffed, crossing his arms as he glared at the beige carpet. "You're already here, no point in going back anyways. It's like I said, we're a team." He nodded, stomping out of their room and to who-knows-where.

Kuroi watched him go with an amused look, before turning to Hotaka. She felt a big bad for him, because of his confused expression. "Still taking it in?" She winced, watching him nod slowly. "Sorry." She shrugged.

"Actually, I should probably go tell the others, now." Kuroi twitched, kind of wishing that any of this had never happened in the first place.

She looked at Kise, and at the door that Kasamatsu had stomped out of, then at her hands. She clenched them, watching as her knuckles turned white. '_No, I'm glad I made that decision to come here. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to meet such awesome people, or... hear those words from Kise..._' Kuroi stared at the blond, who was busy poking Hotaka. She shook her head, and took a step towards the door before Kise grabbed her hand.

"I think you should tell them at dinner time! It's only in another hour." Kise advised, smiling innocently.

Kuroi blinked, and nodded slowly, "Yeah, alright."

OoOoO

I bought a beginner archery set a couple days ago, so I've been practicing a _lot_... I need a better arm guard e.o; I have so many bruises and welts from the string snapping against my arm lol. It was somewhat painful to finish typing the rest of this xDD

Thanks for being patient, everyone! And thanks for all the votes/reviews, seriously. Thank you~!

Kasamatsu obviously won by an overwhelming amount. JK. Well, he did have a lot of votes, whereas Kise was simply pushed to the side D; Sorry, Kise. At least you went all epic!

~Love me or Hate me~


	18. Basket Eighteen: The Stay: Part Three

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Eighteen: The Stay {Part Three}

OoOoO

At first, Kuroi wasn't worried. But, now that she was actually standing in front of practically every guy who came on the trip, in the dining room, about to reveal her secret, the fear had managed to seep its way inside her mind.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, leaning towards Kasamatsu (who twitched ever so slightly). "Maybe I can just tell them later?" She chuckled quietly, fingers gripping her sweat pants as she watched all the curious stares focus entirely on her.

"Y- You have to do it now." Kasamatsu whispered back, elbowing her. "Or I'll hit you." He added, frowning.

"You just did."

"Oh..."

Kuroi shook her head, standing up straight. She cleared her throat, almost choking on her own spit. "U- uhmm... I have so- something important to tell you..." She winced, wishing that she was somewhere very far away from here. All the curious or bored stares were getting to her, making her almost shake with nervousness.

'_You won't be bored for long once I tell you..._' Kuroi thought, wetting her lips before clearing her throat again. "So," Kuroi twitched, starting to get angry with herself. She kept stalling.

"Alright, I'm gonna say something... But I don't want anyone to freak out. I-"

"You're gay!?" Someone shouted.

"What!" Kuroi clasped her head, partly from shock and partly from embarrassment. "No!" She cried, shaking her head. "That wasn't what I was gonna say." She huffed, almost missing Kasamatsu's face palm. "Gah- Why is this so _hard_." She whined.

"What! You're hard!?"

"NO!" Kuroi was ready to burst into tears, her eyes shut tight as she wished they would all just shut up.

"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP BEFORE I GIVE YOU 500 LAPS!" Kasamatsu yelled, making everyone freeze in place.

"A- as I was saying..." '_More like trying to say._' Kuroi thought, scowling. "Uhm, I'm... a girl." She almost whispered that last part, but managed to choke it out. Her gaze was fixated on the tiled floor of the dining room, idly kicking at a speck of dust.

If tumbleweed blew by... Kuroi wouldn't even know what to do.

"So... you're not gay?"

Kuroi face palmed, turning her gaze into a glare. "No. I am not_ gay_." She seethed, barely managing to contain her angry. She swore to herself she was it the same exact guy who kept saying such stupid stuff. She was gonna hurt him.

She looked at Kasamatsu, who looked down right annoyed by everyone and possibly everything, and then to Kise, who was smiling like an idiot. She sighed, and faced the crowd of boys again, fiddling with the edges of her sleeves.

"HAHAHAHA!" Kuroi blinked, looking at Moriyama weirdly.

"I _knew_ there was something about you! I'm actually quite glad you're a girl, 'cause now I can work my magic." Moriyama sighed almost blissfully, licking his palm to slick his bangs from his eyes.

"Not a chance." Kuroi smiled rather eerily.

OoOoO

Kuroi was glad she had got that all over with. It was awkward during dinner time, but she figured that it needed some more time to sink in. Feeling tired, she glanced at the clock, yawning loudly when she saw it was almost 9:30. She rubbed her eyes, and rolled over in her bed, staring out the window.

"Yasuhirocchi!" Kise yelled as he literally burst into their shared room.

"What!?" Kuroi shot up from her bed, looking bewildered.

"Let's go! Everyone is going to th-..." Kise's happy grin was replaced by a small frown and a blush that crept its way up to his cheek, as he let the door handle go.

Kuroi blinked, staring curiously. '_Is this the first time that I've seen him blush like that?_' She thought, before realizing that her own cheeks were beginning to heat up. She turned away, staring out the window. "G- Going to the what?" She asked almost hesitantly.

"I was gonna say hot springs... but then I remembered you're a girl. Wait! You can just go on the girl's side! Hooray!"  
"Stop parading around the room like an idiot." Kuroi said, making Kise stop with a sheepish grin on his face. "And I guess I could go..." She mumbled, pouting and uncrossing her arms.

"Yey!" Kise ran into the bathroom, grabbing towels for the both of them. "Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Kise jumped around, excited like a little kid. "The hot springs here are always so awesome!" He informed her rather loudly, earning a 'shut up' from Kasamatsu, who was waiting in the other room.

"Okay, jeez, just calm down." Kuroi huffed, grabbing her bag and the towel from Kise. "Thanks..." She murmured, following the blond out of their room.

Kise and Kuroi met with Kasamatsu and Hotaka, and the four made their way towards the onsen. They soon met with the others, and Kuroi felt awkward from all the sudden stares.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go int-... Moriyama-sempai, why is your nose bleeding?" Kuroi asked, giving her sempai a blank look.

"I was just thinking that we could go into the mixed ba-"

"Absolutely Not. _Now wipe that smile off your face before I do it for you._" Kuroi all but said with an angered grin plastered on her face.

"Yes ma'am." Came Moriyama's instant reply.

"... Goodbye. For now." Kuroi awkwardly said, slowly stepping into the women's part of the hot springs. She sighed, and dropped her bag.

"I guess I don't need these anymore... Well, for this stay, at least." Kuroi said as she took her shirt off in order to take the bandages wrapped firmly around her chest. She let another long sigh out, and stripped down to nothing and headed towards the shower area. She looked around, and saw no other girl around, which was probably good, since she might be mistaken for a guy... Stupid hair.

Kuroi quickly showered and washed off all the soap before grabbing the towel that Kise had given her, and made her way towards the onsen. She dipped one foot in, wincing from the heat. She eventually sank in, and put her towel right behind her head so it was resting against the slippery rocks.

OoOoO

Kise ran and jumped into the hot water, splashing everyone. Kasamatsu was lucky enough to cover his face, and he turned to give the first year a death glare.

"Kise! Don't do that! I'll hit you!" Kasamatsu yelled, splashing water at the blond rather childishly. Kise only laughed, and tossed his damp towel at Kasamatsu, watching it land on his head with glee.

Moriyama shook his head, and leaned against the rocks, sighing in content. "THIS IS SO AWESOME!" Hayakawa yelled, following Kise's example and diving straight into the water. Moriyama twitched, thankful that Kasamatsu had punched him when he resurfaced.

He watched with minor interest as Hayakawa floated away, his back the only visible part. "Being stuck with a bunch of naked guys is boring." Moriyama randomly spoke, lifting his head to look at the dark starry sky.

"What are you suggesting?" Kobori asked, giving his friend a suspicious glance.

"What I'm suggesting is..." Moriyama went silent, turning around to look at the wall which separated the men's from the women's onsen.

"Oh, no, absolutely not. She's going to kill us, and I barely even know her." Kobori raised his hands from the warm water, shaking them in denial.

"But, Kobori!_ Aren't you curious_!? I mean, does she have big wonderful boobs? Or small little cute on- _nngh_!" Kasamatsu had somehow made it to the opposite side where Moriyama was, and punched him in the face.

"Thanks." Kobori nodded at Kasamatsu, who was seething silently.

Moriyama sprung up from the water, a serious look on his face. "Hayakawa, Kise, come. We shall see together!" He shouted, pointing to the wall.

"OKAY!" Hayakawa yelled, punching the air with his fist excitedly.

"E- ehh!?" Kise stood, looking more shocked and embarrassed rather than excited. "I- I can't spy on Yasuhirocchi!" He wailed, grasping his head.

"But it's part of your manly pride!" Moriyama huffed, crossing his arms.

"That's tru- I mean, never!" Kise cried out.

"That's enough! All of you!" Kasamatsu yelled, trying to pick whoever was close enough to hit.

"Hey. I found a peep hole."

"Kobori! WHY!?" Kasamatsu gaped.

"Kobori, nice!" Moriyama and Hayakawa gave him a thumbs up.

"I CAN HEAR YOU, YOU KNOW! I'LL SLAUGHTER ANY EYEBALL THAT I SEE LOOKING THROUGH!" Kuroi's threat was as clear as day, making them all shudder.

"NOOOOO!" Hayakawa dived for Moriyama, who was just about to look through the small peep hole.

"Se- sempai! I won't let you!" Kise claimed loudly, also diving for Moriyama.

Unfortunately, Kise and Hayakawa both ended up crashing straight into the boy, sending the three of them tumbling into the wall, knocking it over.

Kasamatsu could only watch in horror along with the others, as the wall slowly broke down, crumbling on top of his three friends.

OoOoO

Kuroi's heart nearly leapt from her chest as she heard a god awful loud bang. She watched in shock as the wall literally crumbled on top of some people.

Complete silence filled the area, and her eyes slowly met with a shocked navy blue pair. "I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO LOOK!" Kasamatsu hollered, managing to push past their teammates to run out of the onsen.

Kuroi twitched, watching as Kise, Moriyama, and Hayakawa emerged from the wreckage, groaning. "YOU'RE ALL DEAD!"

OoOoO

Thanks to Reimei-Jennoir for the wonderfully awesome hot springs idea! This chapter is for you~ xD I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot while I was writing this chapter, and now my cheeks hurt D; (This also reminds me of that chapter in KnB, when Kagami was wearing swimming trunks in the water. lmao.)

Anyways, getting so close to twenty chapters. That'll be an accomplishment for me. Can't wait~ I still have a few ideas left. MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHH!

~Love me or Hate me~


	19. Basket Nineteen: Hell Hath no Fury

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Nineteen: Hell Hath no Fury (Like a Women Scorned)

OoOoO

Kuroi leaned against the tree, crossing her arms. She checked the time, realizing that it was almost 7:00 pm.

Kise stood beside her, smiling happily as he rubbed his bruised cheek.

"Yasuhirocchi, you hit hard for a girl." He said after a moment of thinking back to the previous day.

"Thanks." Kuroi replied, smiling cheekily.

The Kaijou basketball team members were currently waiting for the mega-awesome-expensive-looking-bus-borrowed-from-K ise's-parents to arrive.

"At least you aren't afraid of me." Kuroi said suddenly, looking up at Kise, who only laughed.

"You can be scary sometimes, Yasuhirocchi!" Kise offered her a comforting pat on the head, ruffling her short bed-headed hair.

"Thanks." She repeated, nodding slowly. '_Good to know..._' Kuroi thought, chuckling evilly.

"... Yasuhirocchi, this is one of those weird moments where you start laughing creepily..."

"Yup."

The bus finally pulled up, that old butler dude taking their bags again. They all shuffled inside the mega-awesome bus, and took their seats.

OoOoO

After the long ride, they were all dropped off at the school. Either parents came to pick up their boys, or you had to walk home. In the dark.

This was one of those times when Kuroi knew she had to walk home. Well, bus it home. Then walk... Yeah. She slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and said her goodbyes before departing from her school to make it to the train station.

Since today was Monday, and the extended weekend was over, they had school tomorrow. Which sucked. Because after tomorrow, and tomorrow's tomorrow- tomorrow, was Friday. That was the day that Kaijou would go up against Seika High.

Kuroi grasped her head, her thoughts getting all jumbled up. She sighed, and realized that she was at the train station, and luckily, the train pulled up just on time. She entered, and sat in the corner, hugging her duffel bag close to her body.

Even in the warm train, she could still feel the cool night air seep in through the opened windows, chilling her skin. She stifled a yawn, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Oddly enough, she was kind of looking forward to tomorrow, but only because of her agreement with Kasamatsu. The memory made her smirk, as a dark giggle escaped her lips.

She only stopped giggling when a woman looked at her weirdly.

Kuroi coughed and cleared her throat, turning to look out the window at the darkening sky.

'_Tomorrow will be fun._' She smiled as she changed her mind for the third time.

OoOoO

It was now Tuesday, and Kuroi had left for school, catching the train just on time, and jogging the rest of the way to Kaijou.

She had run into Kise in the hallway, and nodded her greeting before disappearing without a word into her classroom.

Kuroi spent most of her first period plotting, going over various moves and exercises. She didn't get caught once by the teacher, but she suspected that the teacher was slightly hung-over to do anything properly.

Her classes and lunch time had flown by in a breeze, and the last bell rang, school was now over.

Kuroi couldn't help but smirk as she made her way to the gym, eager to begin practice as she hugged her duffel bag and notebook close to her, slipping by students who wanted to get home or get to their after school activities just as quickly as she wanted to get to hers.

As soon as she entered the gym, she immediately went towards the locker room. Her smile dropped and her mind went blank the second she entered.

"I'm sorry, I forgo- Imma just... just go into the girls... locker rooms. Yeah." Kuroi coughed awkwardly. She had totally forgotten about them knowing that she was a girl, and had walked right into the boy's locker room by accident.

Since they knew, there was no reason for her to be in there anymore. She just had to be careful when she went into the girl's changing room.

Kuroi poked her head in said changing room, clearing her throat before speaking up. "Hello, any bo- er, girl in here?"  
She received no answer, and shrugged, before taking her things inside with her. She was about to change in peace, without no fear of being found out, but paused when she took her white-button up shirt off. Kuroi stared curiously at her bandaged chest, wondering if she really needed to wear it during practice.

It would be a great relief if she didn't, and since they all knew she was a girl (except for Takeuchi-sensei) she figured it would be okay, and it would help her in telling Coach.

Kuroi unraveled the bandaged, watching them fall to the floor and curl slightly. She stared at pale white bandages in deep thought as she finished changing and tying her shoes.

She walked out, stretching her arms as she headed towards the blond. "Neeeee, Kise. Help me tell Coach about my... being a girl problem."

"Problem?" Kise chuckled, ruffling Kuroi's hair just as he had the day before. "I will, but I don't think it's much of a problem." He blinked innocently.

"Sure, you say that now..." Kuroi rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. She was beginning to feel a tad self-conscious all of a sudden, the stares of her team mates getting to her. "Jeez, let's just get this over with." She whispered, walking up towards where their Coach would be.

"Coach Takeuchi," Kuroi cleared her throat, stopping in front of the middle aged man.

"Hn?" He blinked, eyes focusing on her for a moment before he turned to yell at one of the first years who were goofing off. "What is it-... Yasu..."  
"U- uhh, Yasuhiro Kuro_-i_..." Kuroi added slowly, her gaze pointed to the ground.

"What is it, Yasuhiro- Wait, what?" She glanced up and noticed the Coach's confused look, as he glanced down at his clipboard, flipping past a couple pages.

"Heh, yeah, funny thing is... I'm a girl." Kuroi whispered, adding an awkward sounding chuckle as she scratched the back of her head.  
"That's impossible."

"Nope! Yasuhirocchi really is a girl!" Kise butted in, his grin faltering when Coach Takeuchi looked like he was about to faint. "Coach?" Kise blinked, poking the older man's shoulder unknowingly.

"I- I'm fine... But, you're really a girl?"

"Yes... I'm sorry."

"Do you understand what this means?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as he stroked his stubble on his round chin.

"... I'm off the team?" Kuroi winced, her heart beating like crazy inside her chest.

"No, that not all girls are sucky players."

"... Thanks." Kuroi twitched, laughing darkly. Why did all men half to be w-

"I assume you talked to Kasamatsu about it, along with the difficulties and what trouble we could get in if anyone else found out?"  
"Yes, I understand." Kuroi bowed politely, before pulling Kise away with her. She sighed loudly, leaning against the wall. "Glad that's over and done with." Kuroi huffed, closing her eyes.

Kise simple smiled as he gave a short nod. "So, Kasamatsu-sempai said you had a surprise for all of us! What is it?"  
"_What is it... _Ohh, hehehe. Yes, uh- _surprise_." Kuroi's smile melted into a grin as she pushed herself off the wall, taking a couple steps towards Kise.

"... Yasuhirocchi, I'm scared." Kise mumbled, taking a step back. He nearly bumped into Kasamatsu, who had his arms crossed and class frown in place. Kise jumped, suddenly feeling cornered.

"Nakamura-sempai! Help me!" Kise yelped, running up to the second year shooting guard. Kuroi narrowed her eyes, hands on her hips. "You can't run forever, Kise." She said darkly, making the blond hide further behind their blond team mate.

"All right, everyone gather around!" Kasamatsu hollered, waving for everyone to come forward. They all stopped what they were doing, and eventually in a minute everyone was gathered.

"Ku- Kuroi.. and I have _uh- _something planned for you all. By request, she has asked to... well, _personally,_ help with the training regimen for today."

Various gulps were heard in the now quiet gym, as all the boys shared worried looks with each other.

"Thi... This isn't revenge for what happened at the onsen, is it?" One second year fearfully asked, him being one at the hot springs when the incident had happened.

"Now, now. Why would you ask such a thing?" Kuroi said sweetly, tilting her head to the side appearing innocent. The boy shrugged, taking a couple steps to hide behind Kobori.

"Hey, it was just a stupid mistake. It's not like some of us meant to see you naked! It was only Moriyama planning it." Another said. Not even a second later, Moriyama was there to smack him upside the head, glaring.

"Ahaha, that's not true. It was actually Kise!" Moriyama turned to glare at the blond, who put his hands up.

"Sempai! I was trying to stop you!"

"Yet it was your fault that the wall got knocked down in the first place."  
"Yours too!" Kise cried, pouting.

"If you'll all kindly shut up," Kuroi interrupted rudely, clearing her throat. She licked her hips, and pulled a crinkled piece of notebook paper out of her pocket. She smiled, reading it over. "Okay. So, today, we'll be doing various activities." Kuroi nodded, handing the paper to Kasamatsu, who took it slowly.

The boys could only watch helplessly as their Captain's face paled as he read it over. He silently handed it back to Kuroi, who put it back in her pocket.

"First five minutes shall be stretching. After that, we shall all do ten minutes of non-stop jump rope, followed by fifteen minutes of weight lifting, then the next half an hour doing laps in the field outside. There will be a five minute break after that, to use the bathroom or get a drink. After our little break, we'll spend the next forty-five minutes doing various exercises, consisting of push-ups, sit-ups, planks, lunges, and squats. The last ten minutes will be for stretching and cooling down." Kuroi sighed, taking a slow breath in. All she could think about was the horrified gazes that were focused on her.

"Well, what are you _waiting_ for?! Start stretching!" She barked, crossing her arms in a threatening manner, enjoying how they all practically dropped to the floor and started with their stretches. '_Life is good._' Kuroi thought happily as she sunk to the floor, to begin with her stretches.

About half an hour into their activates, they were all now located in the weights room, which happened to be next to the gym.

Kasamatsu had managed to shuffle his way past everyone's weight lifting and up to Kuroi as he balanced a twenty-five pound dumbbells in each hand. He studied her for a moment, face going blank as Kuroi struggled to bench press.

"U- uhh, maybe you should try easier ones, maybe try the bal-"

"Hah?" Kuroi sneered, turning her head to glare at the Captain. "Look, I don't need your help or anything. I can handle it myself." Kuroi huffed, struggling to put the weight back on the hooks. She did it eventually, but only because Kasamatsu had put the dumbbells on the floor to help her. She coughed, and pushed his hands away.

"Li- listen; I just don't want you to hurt yourself. You should only lift lighter ones if you can't han-"

"Kasamatsu-sempai! _Seriously?_" Kuroi frowned, standing up from the bench. She wiped the sweat away from her forehead, as she took a drink from her water bottle. "Are you really planning to be all sexist on me, just because now you learned that I'm a _girl_?"

"Wha- n- no! I-"

"I don't want to be treated differently just because of my sex, I want you to treat me how you always had! I didn't have a problem with your training before, sure it was harsh at first, but it was also fun. Even with all the punching and hitting, I had no problem with it. Why? Because it was _fun. _In a way."

"I'm trying not to!" Kasamatsu frowned, his own deep blue-grey eyes narrowing.

"_Are you sure_? Because you started treating me _way_ different ever since you found me out!"

"I _just_ said I'm not trying to! You don't think that I _want_ to treat you the same!?"  
"Then don't be a stupid wuss about it!"  
"What'd you call me!?"  
"You heard me! Be a freakin' man!" Kuroi growled, stomping her foot on the ground rather childishly.

"I just don't want you to hurt yourself! I want you to be careful!" Kasamatsu spat back, sneer in place.

"God! I don't- _ugh_!" Kuroi yelled, fists clenching and un-clenching as her anger flowed freely in her body. She turned and stomped out of the room, unaware to all of the silent stares of the boys.

"Fine! GO. See if I care." Kasamatsu shouted, kicking the bench as he turned and stomped out of the other door.

There was silence in the weight room as everything slowly sunk in.

"I hope Kasamatsu-sempai knows he went in the direction of the girls changing room..."

OoOoO

Yey, finally, a longer chapter. :Db Congratulate me, _do it_. Do it! Jk. ;P

Anyways! Thank you to OMGIt'sKawaii3 and Reimei-Jennoir for your awesome ideas! They worked perfectly together xD Any suggestions/ideas are welcome, so don't be afraid to suggest. Or.. idealate. Lol xD

Also, I dunno why, but Kise weirdly reminds me of Kikumaru Eiji sometimes... Weird.

~Love me or Hate me~


	20. Basket Twenty: Fated Battle

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty: Fated Battle

OoOoO

After the fight with Kasamatsu, Kuroi had gone straight home, slamming her door to her room. She hadn't even come out for dinner, because she was still fuming. Not just at Kasamatsu, but also at herself.

She hated the way she acted, knew it was wrong of her to say such things, especially when Kasamatsu had been nothing but nice to her. In a way.

The next morning she asked her mother call in sick for her, simply because she didn't want to face him today.

Call her chicken, or a crybaby, but she honestly wasn't looking forward to talking to him.

Her mother had eventually agreed, knowing her daughter was not even sick, but decided to call in for her because she wanted to comfort her.

"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Kayate asked, voice soft through the door as she rested her hand on the handle, even though the door itself was locked.

"... Maybe..." Kuroi replied. After a moment of silence, she sighed and fixed her wig, knowing her mother wasn't going to leave her alone. She stood and opened the door, going back to her bed. She collapsed on it, burying her face in her warm pillows.

"So, what happened? Boy troubles?" Her mom laughed softly, rubbing Kuroi's back as she sat beside her.

"I guess you could say that..." Kuroi murmured after a moment, craning her neck so she could look at her mother. "But more like team mate troubles." She offered quietly, rolling on her side to make more room for her mother.

Kayate's soft eyes rested on her daughter, before closing them. "You're going to have to face him eventually, Kuroi. You can't play sick forever."  
"I know..." Kuroi replied, pulling the covers over her head, enjoying the offered warmth. She closed her eyes, accustomed to the darkness in her small cocoon of blankets.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Not really, but I will." Kuroi had been careful to explain her story. She had changed the parts about her crossdressing, and just stuck to telling her about being treated differently. Hopefully her mother wouldn't suspect anything out of the ordinary. She also shared her feelings about it all, and how she wanted it to be normal.

Her mom had told her stories of her childhood, and days of highscool, sharing her troubles as a teenager with her daughter.

The evening came faster than thought, and Kuroi had come out to eat with her parents before excusing herself to shower and then go to sleep. She was definitely not looking forward to going to school tomorrow.

OoOoO

A knock at her door startled her from her troubled sleep. Kuroi shot up from her bed, stopping to fix her wig, before glancing around her room tiredly.

She quickly looked at the clock, body screaming for sleep. It was almost 7:00, and Kuroi had finally fallen asleep around 6:30. She was very tired, and felt like she was about to pass out no matter what.

"Kuroi, wake up! Breakfast is ready." Kayate said, voice muffled through the door.

Kuroi groaned, falling back onto her soft bed. "Ohh, mom. What day is it?" She whined, dreading the coming answer.

"It's Thursday. You said you have a game tomorrow, right? I assume you'll be longer at practice today, yes?" Her mother asked, huffing at her daughter's laziness.  
"Yes..." Kuroi groaned out, falling out of her bed with a thump. Remembering she needed to talk to Kasamatsu and apologize to him.

"Now, hurry up then. I made a big breakfast for you. I don't want you to be late."  
"Awhh, food." Kuroi whined again, not feeling up to anything at all. She wanted to stay home, stay away from Kise and Kasamatsu and the rest of the team, and most importantly stay away from Seika. She wasn't ready for the match tomorrow, but she knows she'll have to be, since there is no way that Kasamatsu or the Coach would change their minds.

Kuroi dejectedly got up from her bed, and fixed her wig again before heading downstairs and into the kitchen. She sat down, and ate her breakfast as slow as she could, before her mother rushed her out the door.

Kuroi half wanted to miss the train she usually took, but decided to man-up about it, and instead broke into a jog.

OoOoO

The school day passed by quickly, even though Kuroi wanted it to be slower. Another loud yawn escaped her mouth, as she smacked her cheek in a poor attempt to wake herself. She groaned and grabbed her duffel bag and shoved her things inside before shuffling past her fellow classmates before making her way to the gym.

She briefly wondered if she was going to be kicked off the team as she entered the gym, slipping into the girls changing room carefully.

Kuroi changed quickly and came outside, only to almost get tackled to the ground. If it wasn't for the wall, she would be in greater pain by now.

"Yasuhirocchi! I thought you died! I missed you, you know! You don't understand how worried I was!" Kise huffed, glaring at Kuroi as he let her escape from his hug.

Kuroi awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, staring at the ground. "Yeah, sorry about ye- er, two days ago. Well, and yesterday..."

Kise blinked, and shrugged. "I don't think it's me you should be apologizing too." He added after a moment.

Kuroi nodded, yawning for the umpteenth time that day as she searched the gym for their Captain. "Where is he, anyways? I haven't seen him anywhere."

"Eh? I don't know, I think I saw him while I was on my here, but not in the change room."

"I'm not going to have to go on an epic journey to search for him, like some stupid girly romantic comedy, am I?" Kuroi replied jokingly, giggling at Kise's face.

"Gosh, I hope not." He said, sounding unsure. "That'd be scary." Kise chuckled, shaking his head.

"Today seems very... melodramatic." Kuroi sighed after a second.

"I know what you me- hey, there's Kasamatsu-sempai!" Kise pointed towards the gym doors. Kuroi turned to look, and lo and behold, Kasamatsu was walking in, holding probably over forty jump ropes.

Kuroi jogged over, smiling as Kasamatsu backed in with some minor difficulty. "Here, lemme help you with that." Kuroi offered, making her voice deeper than normal as she grabbed some from the pile in Kasamatsu's arms.

"Thank y- Kuroi!" Kasamatsu gaped, staring at her in awe.

Kuroi nearly dropped the jump ropes she was taking, and blinked in surprise. "That's actually the first time you've called me by my first name, I think." She noted, regaining her balance as she followed after Kasamatsu.

"O- oh, is it? Sorry." Kasamatsu replied, his cheeks darkening as he put the plastic jump ropes down on the ground in a neat little pile. Kuroi did the same, pushing her short bangs from her eyes as she gave a little stretch.

"Sempai, can I talk to you after practice? It's really important." Kuroi asked, giving the third year a smile.

Kasamatsu seemed hesitant for a split second, but nodded a moment after, "Sure." He nodded, gathering everyone up so they could begin their exercises.

After half an hour of doing different exercises, Kuroi sighed heavily. She rubbed her forehead, not liking the way her head began to spin.

She stifled a yawn, and slowly went to her assigned spot. They were going to be playing mini-games, much like how they had during her first week of being on the team.

Kuroi shook her head, but immediately stopped a moment after. '_Okay. Not a good idea._' She thought, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She swallowed, and one of the second years called tip off.

The game seemed to progress slowly, but it easily could have just been Kuroi. She didn't know, with the way her head was spinning.

Kuroi turned around, her eyes struggling to find the ball. She would have reacted faster, if it weren't for the sudden shout that startled her from her thoughts.

The last thing she saw was the orange basketball, coming straight at her.

Kise's attempt to warn Kuroi flew over her head, and he watched in shock as the ball hit the center of the forehead. He watched as she swayed on her feet, before she fell to the ground as if she was dead weight. "Yasuhirocchi!" Kise shouted, running over to her.

It hadn't had been him that had hit her, he didn't exactly see who, either. He was just on the other side, playing in his game, when he turned around to happen to see the scene play out.

He crouched beside the fallen girl. "Kuroi!" He called, touching her forehead where a small red spot was.

Kasamatsu jogged up, a worried look on his face. "What happened?" He asked, looking from Kuroi to Kise.

"The ball hit her, and she just fainted..." Kise explained, standing up slowly.

"It shouldn't have been that hard." Kasamatsu shook his head. "Not enough to make her faint." He concluded, motioning for Kise to help pull her up.

"I'll take her-"

"No, I got it. I'm the Captain here, you just continue with practice." Kasamatsu awkwardly picked her up, finding that she wasn't all that heavy.

He carefully carried her down the hallway and towards the nurse's office. His eyes landed on her pail face, frowning when he noticed that she was sweating too much. With what they were doing, it was barely even tiring.

That only raised more questions about the strange girl.

OoOoO

Kuroi groaned, her hand immediately finding its way to her face. She scrubbed at her eyes, and yawned.

"You're awake."

Kuroi jolted, sitting up swiftly. The action hurt her head, but other than that she was fine. She stared at Kasamatsu, who was looking out the window.

He turned his gaze back to her, giving her a once over.

"Why am I... ?" Kuroi finally took notice of her surroundings, realizing that she was in the schools infirmary.

"Oh, some idiot thought it would be a good idea to throw a ball at your face." Kasamatsu said, looking pissed off.

"I'm sure it was an accident." Kuroi chuckled, touching the bruise on her forehead gently. "I'm fine."

"Well, you kind of hit your head on the ground to. But the nurse said that you don't have a concussion or anything, and that you should be fine."

"See? All good..." She trailed off, staring at the white sheet on top of her. "Well, except... for us."

Kasamatsu looked at her, and nodded slowly. "Speaking of which, I-"

"I wanted to say-"

They both looked at each other, Kuroi smiling at Kasamatsu flushed face. "S- Sorry, you could go." He stuttered out, rubbing the back of his neck apologetically.

Kuroi nodded, wetting her lips before she spoke, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way that I did, and I shouldn't have said those things. I- I know you care, which is way I also wanted to... thank you." She smiled.

Kasamatsu looked at her, surprised. He quickly shook his head, cheeks only darkening. "Yo- you don't need to apologize, or thank me. I- I'm equally at fault, and shouldn't have yelled at you so harshly." He admitted, raising his hands in defeat. "And I do care... a lot. I don't know why, but... You make me fe-"  
The door burst open, revealing a sweaty looking Kise, along with Moriyama, Kobori, Hayakawa, and Shinya.

Kuroi jumped from the sudden loud noise, and frowned as she looked back at Kasamatsu. "What were you..." She trailed off; deciding that now wasn't exactly the best time.

"Idiots! Did you finish practice?" Kasamatsu glared, fist clenching.

"Yes, Kasamatsu-sempai! We came to see how Yasuhirocchi is doing!" Kise huffed out, panting.

"Did you run all the way here, Kise?" Kuroi giggled, shaking her head at the blond.

"Yea-_ no_..." Kise pouted, shaking his head in denial.

"He did." Kobori said in all honesty.

"He totally did." Moriyama nodded seriously, cracking a smile a second later.

Kuroi laughed, enjoying how Kise bowed his head in defeat. "It's only 'cause I care!" He puffed his chest out, as if he was a heroic being.

"Yeah, I know. But, you didn't have to drag everyone else along."

"We all wanted to know if you were okay. I'm pretty sure it was one of the first years who accidentally hit you, by the way." Kobori's smile faltered, his thoughts drifting back to the incident.

"Thanks." Kuroi grinned.

OoOoO

The next day came sooner than expected for not only Kuroi, but everyone on the team.

School breezed by, and soon enough they were at Seika High, getting ready for the match. Kuroi was sitting on the bench, beside Kise. She closed her eyes as she sucked in a deep breath.

"I think I'm going to be sick." She murmured suddenly, eyes snapping open.

"Just don't get sick on me!" Kise wailed, cringing away from her. Kuroi gave him a look, before shaking her head.

"Never mind." She whispered, shaking her hands almost impatiently. "My heart beat won't slow down." She groaned, patting her chest. "Calm down." She told herself, frowning.

"Will both teams line up!" Kuroi looked up, and quickly turned to look at Kise. Kise smiled at her, before he stood up from the bench to join Kasamatsu, Hayakawa, and Kobori on court. Kuroi took another deep breath, slowly letting it out as she followed after him.

She stared at the opposite team, hoping that they would not recognize her.

Kuroi wasn't exactly friends with any of the boys, but she did come around to visit and watch their games a lot, much like in her middle school days. She also talked to them a lot.

"Bow!" Kuroi bowed, and soon went into position. Her calculating purple eyes landed on the captain and also Point Guard, Daichi Fuji. She watched his posture lower, his honey orbs focused intently on Kasamatsu.

'_Good. So he's still the same. My information won't be too far off._' Kuroi thought, wetting her lips as her eyes shifted to the next guy; Haruna Satou, the Shooting Guard. Next was the Center, Izumi Matsuo. Followed by his twin brother; Itsuki Matsuo, who was the Small Forward. The last one, Power Forward, happened to be the guy who hated Kuroi's guts; Jun Sasaki.

Kuroi felt extremely pissed off just by looking at him. Her eyes quickly darted back to the ball as the ref. threw it in the air, calling Tip Off.

Daichi easily hit the ball towards Itsuki. The blue eyed twin took it with ease, dribbling as he searched the area. Kuroi smirked, watching his arm tense as his eyes gazed towards the right. Just as Izumi became open.

She slipped past Haruna, reaching her hand out just as Itsuki attempted to bounce pass to Izumi. She intercepted the pass, and put her arm out to block Haruna who came up behind her, trying to steal the ball.

Sure, she was good at steals, but so was Haruna. His hand managed to snake past her, knocking the ball out of her grasp. She scowled, and blocked him from retrieving it. Luckily, Kise was there to save the ball, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

He easily darted past the defense, and dunked the ball in, scoring their first points.

OoOoO

"I _knew _I was forgetting something!" Kuroi scowled, giving her bag another search before pushing it away with a huff. "I'll be right back; I'm going to get something to drink." She said, getting up.

"Be quick, we only have five minutes left!" Kasamatsu shouted after her, smacking Kise when he tried to follow, much like a puppy.

"I will!" Kuroi replied, before disappearing out of the Seika High's gym. At least she knew her surroundings, since she had used to go here.

Kuroi only hoped that she didn't run into any of the girls from her previous team, knowing that they would notice her if they ran into each other.

She made her way towards the nearest vending machine. Her eyes searched the choices, before inserting the money. Her sports drink dropped to the bottom, and she bent down to take it from the machine. Just as she turned, a random boy out of nowhere appeared right in front of her, knocking her backwards.

Kuroi caught herself before she fell, and glared at the taller boy. "Excuse me; I need to get back to the game." She huffed, making sure to lower her voice a couple pitches. She tried to pass the few boys, but the first one pushed her back against the machine quite roughly.

"See what I mean? These guys think that they are all that." The boy sneered, the others closing it all with deep frowns and scowls on their faces.

Kuroi sighed, looking at the ground. "I don't have time for this..." She muttered, making one of the boys smack her head.

"Speak up, dipshit!" He hissed, grabbing Kuroi's jersey.

"Don't you assholes have anything better to do than pick on sweet and innocent gi- uh, boys?" Kuroi rolled her eyes, partly at them, but mostly at her mistake.

"Hm? What was that, _girly boy_?"

Kuroi snorted, shaking her head, "If only you knew." She said, grabbing the boys hand to move them off of her.

"Wrong move, bastard." The guy hissed, slamming her against the vending machine, making it rattle in protest. Kuroi glared, but couldn't help the sinking feeling that settled in her stomach.

One of the others came to hold her down, as a different one came up to her, his fingers curling into a fist. He swung it down hard, making contact with her cheek.

Kuroi flinched into the punch, moaning from the pain. "You know," She growled out. "I knew I've seen you somewhere. You four are the third stringers on the team..." She chewed her bottom lip, knowing that she was making it worse. "You have no talent, so you decide to take it out on those who do, just not your own team." She taunted them, smirking in amusement at how their faces changed.

"You bitch! I'll kill yo-" Kuroi flinched, ready for another hit. She opened her eyes when she heard a yelp of pain, and saw the boy on the ground, Kasamatsu standing beside him with a murderous glare on his face.

"No one hurts my team mates." He whispered, turning his glare to the other boys, who all flinched away from the Captain.

"Sempai-"

"Let's go, Kuro." Kasamatsu said, grabbing Kuroi gently to pull her with him. Once they were out of sight of the four boys, Kasamatsu stopped to look at her face.

"You're hurt..." He growled out.

"Yeah, well, I brought it upon myself, mostly. But it was just punch, I'm fine." She grinned. "Now, let's go play!" She yanked the third year back into the gym, wanting to get back to the game so she could get out of there.

OoOoO

The game ended, Kaijou winning with _92 _- _47_. Kuroi couldn't help but feel proud of Seika; they had matured (if only a little) since when she first knew them.

Kuroi let a long groan out, leaning against Kise for support. "God, I knew something was going to happen. I swear, this school is cursed." She mumbled, glaring back at her old school. She kicked dirt at it, before turning her attention to her cheek. It was lightly bruised, and only hurt whenever she poked it.

"Aren't you glad you got it over with?" Kise laughed, resting his arm on her shoulder since she was shorter than him.

"Yes and no." She replied, sticking her tongue out at the model. "I'd rather have not come here, since it's not safe." She motioned to her cheek, touching the bruise a second later. "Ouch."

OoOoO

Thanks again to Reimei-Jennoir and OMGIt'sKawaii3 for the lovely idea's! They complete this story~ xDD

Kasamatsu, why do you have to be so epic?

This is quite the long chapter, which I feel happy about. Especially since it's _chapter twenty._ HAHA!

~Love me or Hate me~


	21. Basket Twenty-One: Party and Sleepover

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty-One: Of Parties and Sleepovers

OoOoO

Kuroi was happy. No, she was more than happy. _She was ecstatic_. Why, you wonder? Because, it is Saturday.

Saturday meant no school, no p-

"Kuroi?"

"Uh, yes, mom?" Kuroi looked up from her waffles, blinking at her mother.

"One of your friends from school called, and he wanted to invite you to some... celebration party or something." Kayate said, raising her eyebrow in questioning.

"... Oh, okay..."

"Here's his number, he said to call you back!" Kayate grabbed a piece of paper from the counter, and handed it to her daughter.

"Oh, okay..." Kuroi sulked as she took the piece of paper from her mom. She was planning to be a hermit in her room all day, maybe even play some basketball with her dad to take her mind off the recent days.

She finished eating her breakfast, and decided to go up to her room so she could call whoever dared call her. Who even calls at seven in the morning, _on a Saturday_? Not that she minded, since she had been sleeping at that time.

She dialed the number on her cell, and put the purple mobile device on her ear to listen to the ringing.

"_Hello~?_"

"_Kise? _How'd you get my number?" Kuroi demanded in a huff, falling down on her bed.

"... _Uhh, I got it from Kasamatsu?_"

"How'd Kasamatsu get it?"

"_From Coach, I think_."

"... How'd Coach get it?"

"_..._"

"... Okay. Enough of that. What did you mean celebr-"

"Oh! To celebrate our victory on Seika! I wanted to invite everyone over to my house! It's going to be like a sleepover thing."

"Sl-... Sleepover?" Kuroi paled, wondering just how her mother would react to her going to a sleep over with only guys.

"_Uh-huh! Is that a problem?_"

"... Uhh, sleepover. Me, girl. You, boy."

"_Oh, right... Your mom wouldn't let you, then, right?_"  
"Yup."

"_Hmm. Why don't you just tell her it's a girl's sleepover?_"

"... But, you already called her; she knows you're a boy."

"_Yasuhirocchi, you enjoy making things harder, don't you?_"  
"No, but I'm just saying..."

"_Then just say that I'm the brother of the girl who wants you to sleepover!_"  
"... Fine, I'll try. Goodbye."

"_Wait! Call me back and tell me ho-_" Kuroi shook her head, hanging up on the model. She stared at her room for a moment, before heading back downstairs to find her mother.

"Mom," Kuroi called, walking into the living room. As expected, her mom was sitting on the couch, reading a book.

"Yes, honey?" Her mother questioned, eyes still glued to the book.

"Uhm, my friends want me to go to a sleepover today."

"You mean the _boy _who called this morning?" Kayate's voice was tense, as she put her book on her lap, turning to her daughter.

"Ye- uh, no. He is the brother of the girl who wants me to come... sleepover..." Kuroi chuckled awkwardly, wondering if her mother was gonna take the bait.

"... Fine, you'll be back tomorrow?"

"Yeah, some time." Kuroi nodded.

"Okay, just- call me when you get there."

"Alright." Kuroi nodded, quickly running back upstairs before her mother decided to change her mind. She closed the door to her room, and locked it. Kuroi tore the wig off, letting it fall to the floor in a pathetic lump. She jumped onto her bed, and reached for her cell which lay on the nightstand.

Kuroi dialed the number from the paper, and waited for Kise to pick up.

"_Ya~su~hiro~cchi~!_" Kuroi cringed at the way the model sang her name oh-so-casually.

"Hey, my mother said I can. But, she thinks that it's a 'girls' sleepover. So, if she randomly calls, just- uhh, pretend you're a girl. Or something..." Kuroi said lamely, rolling her eyes. '_I hate lying to her..._' She thought, staring at the ceiling before turning her attention back to the blond on the other line.

"_Okie dokie!_" The model's reply made Kuroi roll her eyes for a second time.

"Yeah, so. When is this?"

"_It's supposed to start at 1:00!_"

"What are we even going to do? Do I need to bring money?"

"... _Stuff_. And nope! Everything's free!"

"... What do you mean 'stuff', and 'everything', Kise?" Kuroi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, glaring at one of her pillows as a substitute for Kise.

"... Come early!"

"Huh? Why?" Kuroi whined, forgetting her suspicion on the model. "Fine, but you owe me."

"_Great! Here's my address and any other information you may need!_"

"Thanks..." Kuroi jotted his address down, as well as the other information he gave her. "Bye, Kise."

"_Bye-bye, Yasu-_" Kuroi hung up, once again cutting off her friend. She smirked, thinking of how the blond must be pouting at his phone. She shook her head, and looked at the clock. It was almost 12:00, so she should get all her things ready and leave soon. Her purple eyes studied the address for a moment, as she reached for her duffel bag. '_He doesn't actually live that far away from me. At least he's closer than the school is._' She sighed, and began to pack all her things she thought she would need.

Five minutes later, Kuroi stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her. She reached up to straighten her wig, but was shocked when she realized that she forgot to put her wig on. She quickly scrambled into her room, and found her wig on the floor where she had left it. She practically dived for it, and quickly put it on top of her head. Kuroi sighed as she fixed it so it looked presentable.

"Guess I'll be on my way."

OoOoO

Kuroi was pretty sure she had got off at the right stop. Since the neighborhood suddenly looked like a rich people area.

She scanned the area, and found the street sign. "Okay, I just need to go this way..." She murmured quietly, about to set out on her way. She turned on her heel, but collided with something- or someone.

"Ya- Yasuhiro!"

"Kasamatsu-sempai..." Kuroi blinked, tilting her head to look up at the third year. "What are you... Wait, how'd you notice me?" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"When I found out that you were a girl, I figured that it was you at the BBQ thing..." He muttered, rubbing the back of his head shyly.

"Oh." Kuroi nodded. "Uh, going to Kise's?"

"Yeah. It's this way."

"Cool." She nodded, and followed the Captain down the street. "I take it that this isn't the first time you've been to his place?"

"He's invited me a couple times." Kasamatsu said, twitching in annoyance. "More like whined at me to come. Something about curing his boredom."

"Ah, yeah." Kuroi nodded again, feeling the awkward atmosphere set in slowly. "So..." She trailed off, attempting to make conversation, which only failed in the end. She mentally smacked herself, but then remembered something. "I guess I never thanked you..."

"For what?" Kasamatsu gave her a quizzical expression.

"For saving me." Kuroi smiled. "I was being a real bitch to them; egging them on and all that. But, you pulled me from the situation, by doing a really awesome flying kick, I must say." She laughed, watching Kasamatsu's face turn from realization to embarrassment.

"You're welcome." He flushed. "I won't tolerate anyone hurting my friends." He said quite seriously, making Kuroi pause to stare at him.

She studied him for a moment, before she continued walking. "Is his house far?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Not really. It's just around the corner over there, only three houses down. You'll notice it right away. It's very..."

"Conspicuous?" Kuroi smirked.

"Yeah."

"Just as I thought. He said he even had a pool?"

"Mmhm."

"Interesting." Kuroi blinked. Soon, they rounded the corner, and right away her eyes were drawn to the outstanding house, which somehow looked more like a mansion. "I guess that's the type of place you live in when you're rich." She snorted, eyeing the model's house.

Kasamatsu nodded in agreement, and they both walked up. "Kasamatsu-sempai! Yasuhirocchi!" Both their heads turned and saw the blond running up, waving his hand frantically.

"You guys made it!" He grinned, coming to a stop in front of them. "Did you bring all the stuff you needed?" He asked, looking in between the two.

Kuroi nodded, and so did Kasamatsu. "What do you think, Kise?" He scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Okay! Let's go put your things in my room, then let's go!" Kise ushered them inside his marvelous house, and towards his bedroom.

"Go where?" Kuroi stared at him, clearly confused.

"To this awesome restaurant by the mall!"

".. You said I didn't need to bring any money, idiot!" Kuroi huffed, smacking Kise's arm.

"You don't, cause I'm paying for you!" Kise chuckled, rubbing his arm.

"What!" Kuroi gaped at him, before smacking his arm again.

"Ouch!" He pouted, "I just.. Wanted to treat Yasuhirocchi... An- Hey, I just noticed, you're wearing a wig..." His expression turned to one of awe, as he gently pulled at the strands.

Kuroi smacked his hand away, glaring at him. "Don't change the subject!"

"What were we talking about?" He blinked.

"... Nevermind." She sighed, tossing her bag on the floor. "I'm taking this stupid thing off." She motioned to the wig, making Kise pout even more.

"But, I like it."

"I don't. It itches like hell." She twitched, and pulled the wig off, revealing her short messy locks.

"Lemme try it on!" Kise smiled radiantly, taking the wig from her hands.

"Kise!" She growled, trying to take it back.

Kasamatsu watched the two, and shook his head as soon as Kise put the wig on his head. "You look like an idiot with black hair." He puffed, hands on his hips.

"I second that!" Kuroi snatched the wig back, and shoved it inside her bag, where it would hopefully be safe.

Kise hopelessly stared at the bag, before his face lit up again. "Right let's go already~!" He sang, pushing the two out of his room.

"What about the others?" Kasamatsu demanded, "Shouldn't we at least wait for them?"

"No, they're meeting us there!" Kise gave them another push, until Kasamatsu threatened to punch him if he pushed him again.

"The things you tell a person." Kasamatsu shook his head, punching Kise's gut anyways, just for the heck of it, mostly. Kuroi agreed, and the three left for their walk.

"It only takes about fifteen minutes to walk there!" Kise said, as he literally began skipping down the sidewalk. Kasamatsu and Kuroi shared a deflated look.

"This is going to be a long walk." Kuroi muttered, trying to tune out Kise's version of 'Follow the Yellow Brick Road'.

OoOoO

Shocked, Kuroi had found out that Kise had managed to book the entire restaurant just for all of them.

"Jeez, Kise." She elbowed him, rolling her eyes. "Did you _really_ book the whole thing, just for your team mates?"

"Of course!" Kise nodded. "Anything for my friends!"

"Just how many of the team did you invite?" Kasamatsu winced, worried about how rowdy they'd all be.

"... Uhm... You, Yasuhirocchi, Moriyama, Kobori, Hayakawa, Shinya, Hotaka, Keisuke, Akio, umm... Chitose, I think. Also Eiichi, Genji, Hideki, Ishio, and Jiro!"

"Is it weird that I barely know half of them?" Kuroi asked, following Kise and Kasamatsu to their table. Kise had told them that they were about twenty minutes early, so they'd half to wait just a little longer.

"Maybe... But you already know Hotaka, and he's a first year, like us. Also there is Chitose, Hideki, and Jiro are all first years. Keisuke, Akio, Ishio, and Eiichi are second years, and Genji is a third year!" Kise grinned, giving her thumbs up.

Kuroi stuck her tongue out, and settled for looking out the window. A sudden cheery voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Hello~! Are you gentlemen ready to order?"

Kuroi smiled, happy that she was recognized as a boy. She gave it a second thought, figuring that she shouldn't be as happy as she is about the whole ordeal.

"Sorry, not yet. We're still waiting for the rest of our friends." Kise said, giving the waitress a coy smile. The waitress flushed, and nodded, the menus grasped tightly in her arms. She quickly walked away, and started giggling with the other waitresses.

"Calm down there, Casanova." Kuroi joked, shaking her head at the blond. Kise chuckled, giving an innocent shrug.

"What, I find it cute how girls giggle after a give them a devilish smile."

Kasamatsu only rolled his eyes, although he slowly edged away from the waitress.

"Makes me wonder... If my manly charms would work on Yasuhirocchi..." Kise grinned suddenly, staring intently at Kuroi's purple gaze.

"Uh, yeah, no." Kuroi smirked, watching Kise pout in rejection.

"You're no fun, Yasuhirocchi!" He frowned, crossing his arms. A loud '_whoop_' startled him from his thoughts, and the trio turned to see a red haired boy and a silver haired boy walking up. The red haired boy had his hair slicked back, making him appear more formal than needed, and had stunning purple eyes. The silverette, who was just a couple inches taller, had his hair spiked out every which way, and had a black piercing on his right ear which matched his dark coal colored eyes.

"Ah, hey!" Kise grinned, waving the pair over. "Kuroi, this is Akio," Kise motioned to the red head, who nodded with a sly grin on his face, "And this is Keisuke!" Keisuke saluted Kuroi, a smug look on his face.

"Hey." Kuroi nodded in greeting, smiling at both of them.

"What's up," Akio grinned at Kuroi and Kasamatsu, before turning back to Kise. "We saw Genji-sempai with Eiichi and Ishio at the train station. They said that they were going to wait for the first years, and then they'll get here as soon as they can." Akio gave Kise the information that Genji had given him.

Kasamatsu greeted both, before excusing himself to go to the washroom. Keisuke slide into his spot, staring intently at Kuroi. "Now that I get a better look, you do look quite feminine." He smirked, patting her ruffled hair.

Kuroi twitched, "Thanks." She struggled out, moving away from him till she was practically pressed up against the window. He only followed after her, smile playing on his lips.

He leaned close to her, "Watch out for Jiro. He's a real flirt." Keisuke whispered in her ear, making her blink.

"Uhh, thanks?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, the one who you should really watch out for is Keisuke. He likes twisting his words around." Akio chuckled, sitting next to Kise.

"Great." Kuroi gave a firm nod, annoyed smile on her face.

About twenty-four minutes later, the rest of the party-comers filed in, all loud and talkative. Kuroi blinked, and wondered if there was going to be enough room at the table they were at for all of them. They were all sitting at a long table, which probably seated eight on each side. If not, there was a similar table beside there's, so she guessed it was all good.

She learned that Jiro really was a flirt, with alluring deep blue eyes and dark brown hair. Genji also had dark brown hair, but with striking emerald green eyes.

Eiichi had golden wheat colored hair, with soft pale orange eyes.

Chitose, who looked like a shy boy, had silver hair much like Keisuke's, but it was tamed down and had reddish-brown eyes which darted around shyly.

Hideki had black hair like Kuroi's, but ocean blue eyes. Ishio had soft-looking curly brown locks and hazel eyes. He appeared to be the quiet type, who preferred to study everything or everyone.

She supposed that was why he was currenly staring at her from across the table. Kise had got up to get the waitress from before, and Ishio had casually taken his seat. Kuroi tilted her head, blinking awkwardly as he did the same thing, staring at her with his calculating hazel eyes. "You're Kuroi, right?"

"That is I." She nodded, suddenly feeling another gaze on her. She turned and looked at Chitose, who quickly looked away, poking his chopstick idly.

'_I'm beginning to think these guys are all really weird._' She found herself thinking, smiling as she looked back down at her shiny white plate. Kise came back with the waitres- well, three waitresses, who were all blushing and giggling amongst themselves, making Kuroi roll her eyes.

"Innocent girls not your type?" She turned to look at Jiro, who had managed to squeeze himself between her and Keisuke, practically pushing the second year off his chair.

"I'm going to say no." Kuroi replied, turning away from the flirt. The waitresses passed menu's around and eventually got everyone's order, before they went to hand them in for the chef.

OoOoO

The group of twelve students had finished with their food, and were eventually kicked out for being overly loud and rowdy by the owner himself. Hideki may or may have not broken the sink in the bathroom. (Kuroi believes he did.)

Either way, they were all on their way back to Kise's. Apparently, his parents were going out on a weekend trip, but they allowed him to throw a party with only a couple of his friends. Kuroi knew this was more than a couple.

Over dining (and food stealing), she had gotten to know some of her team mates quite well, and even became friends with them. Some more than others. She glared at Jiro, who only winked at her.

She also learned a few things along the way back to Kise's house. Like, Keisuke and Akio were actually step-brothers, and Chitose loved to study and read, and Genji was the strong silent type. Or maybe how Ishio was actually pretty clumsy, despite his calm nature.

All these awkwardly amazing boys, which were all on the basketball team. She learned that they all joined for some different reason, be it joining for a friend, a whim, love of the sport, she thought it was very interesting...

Kuroi sighed, actually feeling content as she spotted Kise's mansion of a house come in sight. '_Good, almost the-_'  
"Uwah!" She yelped, nearly losing her balance when she felt two arms wrap around her from the back. "Wh- what are you doing?" She squeaked, struggling to get out of the grip.

"Give me a piggy back, Kuroi!" Hideki whined, latching onto her back. "Please?" He begged, pouting as the others started laughing.

"No! You're heavy." She elbowed him, making him fall back dazedly.

"Fine, be like that." He huffed, crossing his arms as he fell into step with Chitose. Chitose stayed silent, just watching shyly.

At least half an hour later, they were all seated in one of Kise's living rooms. This one had a nice big fireplace, and warm comfy sofas. Kuroi sat on one of the three seated sofas, feeling content (and safe) in between Kise and Kasamatsu. Hopefully they wouldn't get up or anything for one of the others to steal their spot.

Jiro was talking about one of his many girlfriends, and somehow they ended up talking about past girlfriends and flings and such. Of course, Kuroi stayed out of it, and just settled for laughing or feeling pity for one of her newer friends.

Kise left, to Kuroi's dismay, and soon came back with pop and chips and other little things. As expected, one of the other had taken his spot, but, to Kuroi's luck, it was Chitose. He smiled at her, before he turned away to study the wall.

Kuroi blinked, and shrugged as she tried to tune out a different more... T rated story of Jiro's.

OoOoO

Evening came sooner than expected, and Kuroi was beginning to get tired. Not just from the day she had with the others, but from the whole week, probably. Tired of all the training, and the game, and getting punched. At least her cheek was healed, and at least her mother hadn't noticed the small bruise which she simply covered with some make-up.

"Yasuhirocchi!" Kuroi turned to Kise, staring questioningly. "You tired?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah, a little."  
"I as well." Kobori said, giving a stretch. Moriyama yawned, and collapsed on the ground. "Me too," He huffed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"I think we all are a little tired." Genji stated, looking around the room. "I'm sorry about the mess everyone made." He paused, looking around the living room.

Empty bags and garbage littered the ground, while snacks and drinks were all misplaced throughout the room.

Kuroi smiled sheepishly. "Hey, I blame Hideki the most." She smirked, glancing at her fellow black haired team mate.  
"I heard that, Kuroi!" Hideki called from his spot on the ground, staring up at the ceiling.

"Well, come on, we can't all just crash in the living room. To my room!" Kise called, pointing towards the stairs.

Kuroi slowly got up, and nearly crashed into Kasamatsu as she tried to maneuver her way up the stairs. "Sorry." She snorted, steadying herself.

Kasamatsu shook his head, smirking, "It's okay. You seem very tired." He stated, walking up the stairs.

"Yet you don't." Kuroi cocked her eyebrow, finding her way into Kise's room. She looked around, blinking. "Whoa." She finally took the time to look around his room, noticing that it was quite large. He even had his own bathroom.

At least there was lots of room for them.

"Kise, where can I sleep?" She groaned, staring at his large luxurious-looking bed. She glanced at the couple couches that were in a part of his room, a TV right against the wall.

"Mm, Yasuhirocchi could have the bed!" Kise grinned.

"Wha- seriously?" She gave him a blank stare. "But... Then I'll feel bad." She frowned, staring at the bed. Even though those pillows looked very comfortable. "Okay, I'll take it." She said after a moment, making Kise chuckle.

She dug through her bag for her pajama's, and quickly went into his bathroom when everyone else started to strip. '_I think they sometimes forget that I'm a girl._' She thought, twitching as she changed. Kuroi came out, wearing simple lilac shorts and a plain white t-shirt. She yawned, and deemed it safe when everyone finished changing, and came out. She stepped over the bodies, nearly tripping over Hayakawa, who moved around in his sleep.

Kuroi found herself wondering how Hayakawa managed to fall asleep so fast as her head hit the wonderfully soft pillow, staring at the soft golden blanket she was using.

"Goodnight, Kuroi." Her eyes snapped open, and peered off the bed, where she saw Kasamatsu laying in a sleeping bag, probably offered by Kise.

"Night, Yasuhirocchi." Kise chirped quietly, probably on the other side of Kasamatsu.

"Goodnight, Kasamatsu. Goodnight, Kise." She whispered back, laying her head back on one of Kise's many pillows.

OoOoO

Sorry for the wait, my lovelies~ (_and manlies_) I hope this chapter entertained you as much as it did for me. xD And yey, some more minor characters probably never to be heard of again except for small minor parts - are introduced! My favorites are the step brothers, Keisuke and Akio. And Chitose! I may try and draw all of their smexy mug-shots. Maybe.

Anyone like any of the newly introduced?

**OMGIt'sKawaii3**:_ Pffff- _Thanks for catching that! I meant Friday, instead of Tuesday. Thanks, again xD I fixed it. :3 *Takes half-eaten cookies* *u*b

Also, thanks for the idea; it was a good one to mesh with one of my own xD

**Reimei-Jennoir**: *fangirls with you* xDD I'm very happy to hear that! It means a lot to me, so thank you~ and that is another wonderful idea, which I shall be using next chapter! :D Thanks!

~Love me or Hate me~


	22. Basket Twenty-Two: My Secret Un-Admirer

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty-Two: My Secret Un-Admirer

OoOoO

Kuroi was having a nice dream. She knew that much. The black haired crossdresser was happily playing basketball with her father. But she was younger, before he had introduced the sport to her, which confused her a bit.

Either way, she was having the time of her life in her dream. That is, until she woke up from the shock of a sudden heavy weight land on her, shocking her from her sleep.

Kuroi's eyes snapped open, her heart beating wildly. Two things she noticed.

One, there was a grinning Jiro on top of her, probably the one who took flight and knocked the wind out of her, and two, was that Eiichi was currently snuggling into her side, arms wrapped tight around her waist.

"... You two have five seconds to move before I break something that is bone." Kuroi whispered, elbowing both males. Eiichi dazedly opened his eyes, and stared at her.

He quickly sprung up from the bed, and tripped over Kasamatsu, who was still sleeping, and then landed on Kise, who was only starting to wake up. "I- I'm sorry, Kuroi-chan! I-... I tend to sleep walk... and cuddle." He said lamely, waving his hands in an apology.

Jiro simply rolled off before Kuroi could knee his face in, and then slide onto his feet rather gracefully, sly grin on his pale face. "Or, you just wanted to feel her up in her sleep. Tell me, Kuroi, have any nice dre-" A pillow smacked into his face, making him shut up. Kuroi groaned, and fell back into Kise's soft bed, wishing that she was back asleep, or better, back in her own bed.

"It's not true! I seriously do sleep walk!" Eiichi whined, trying to avoid Kasamatsu and Kise's glares for waking them so harshly. "Sorry, Kasamatsu-sempai... I kinda stepped and tripped over you... And sorry, Kise. For falling on you. Even though you were a soft landing." Eiichi grinned sheepishly, staring at his fellow blond.

Kise only pouted, and looked at his blanket which had somehow ended up on Akio, who slept next to Kise. The red head rolled onto his side, accidentally hitting Keisuke's cheek as he did so. Keisuke woke up with a start, looking around confused. "I thought... I thought I was at the carnival." He muttered, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah, carnival." Hideki groaned, shoving his head back under his pillow.

"Anyone know what time it is?" Kobori asked, trying to see the clock, which was hidden under one of Kise's pillows.

Jiro blinked, and looked up in thought. "Before I jumped on Kuroi and Eiichi, I checked the time. It was almost 2:00 AM." He smirked.  
"God damn you and your automatic alarm clock!" Hideki growled, wiping his pillow at the flirt.

"Hey, you can't spend all day sleeping!" Jiro huffed, wrapping his arms around the pillow, holding it hostage from the black haired boy.

"Sure we can. We just don't want to." Hideki argued back.

"Besides, Kise told me to wake all you up!" Jiro stuck his tongue out. Kuroi blinked tiredly, and finally realized that it was indeed still in the middle of the night. With all the lights on, she had thought it was morning.

No wonder she was still as tired as-

"I did? Oh, I did!" Kise grinned, ignoring all the collective groans and whines and glares he received.

"Kise! What is the meaning of this!" Kasamatsu demanded, punching the model's side.

"Kasamatsu-sempai, even when you're dead tired, you still have a good punch." Kise coughed out, fingers gently poking at his side. "Anyways, I wanted to do something more fun! Since, you know, it's a sleepover. You aren't really supposed to sleep." Kise rolled his eyes, making everyone stare at him blankly.

Kuroi jolted at the sudden uproar in his room, and found herself thanking that his parents were away, otherwise they'd all get in deep trouble.

But then again, who's to say none of the maids or chef or butlers wouldn't tell his parents when they returned?

Kuroi was pulled from her thoughts when she noticed everyone slowly getting up, either complaining or- well, yeah. Mostly complaining.

"What... are we doing?" She asked, blinking when everyone started to get dressed.

"Kise said that we have to go into a forest." Kasamatsu supplied, startling Kuroi.

"Fo-... Forest? At two in the morning?"

"Actually, it's 2:30. He says it's only ten minutes away. Something about being there for the witching hour or whatever."

"... Forest... In the dark. At the _witching hour_! Are you crazy, Kise!" Kuroi whined, glaring at her so called friend.

"Aww, don't worry, Kuroi. There won't be any witches making any blood sacrifices or anything. 3:00 AM is for the Demons and Ghosts, and such." Hideki sang, grinning as he tugged his black sweater on.

"_And such_, he says." Kuroi muttered darkly, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. "I saw Supernatural, okay?" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Supernatural is just a TV show." Genji said, startling her. She stared at him, before frowning slightly.

"Yeah, I know. But, what if monsters really were real?" Kuroi asked, twitching at the thought. "I'd rather not be mauled by a werewolf or sucked dry by a vampire." She scowled, looking around for her bag. She found it, and ignored everyone's quiet whispers and quickly pulled her sweater on.

Kise bounced up to her, grin on his face. "Here ya go, Yasuhirocchi!" He sang, handing the girl a flashlight. She took it and gave it a long stare.

"Don't you have any... er, brighter ones?" She asked as she turned it on. The light was dull, and she could barely see far with it.

"Nope!" Kise said, skipping out of his bedroom. Kasamatsu smacked him upside the head, telling him to shut up as they all quietly made their way out of his house.

OoOoO

'_This isn't a good idea, this isn't a good idea._' Kuroi repeated the phrase over and over in her head, hands tightly clutching the offered flashlight.

She didn't know who it was, but one of the boys had stepped on a twig, making it snap loudly. She nearly jumped from her skin, and calmed her heart beat back to normal as she hurriedly walked beside Kasamatsu.

Kuroi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, finding herself wondering how he was afraid of girls, but not dark creepy forests.

"BOO!" Kuroi felt the hot breath against her ear as well as the hands land on her hips, making her let out an ear-piercing scream. In the midst of the chaos, she had managed to elbow her attacker, and latch onto the closest person, that being Kasamatsu.

"Ow! Kuroi!" She could barely hear Keisuke's wail over the loud laughter that echoed in the enclosed forest.

"Ku- Kuroi..." She blinked and turned her gaze to Kasamatsu. Even partly in the dark, she could see the blush that bloomed on his cheeks.

"S- Sorry." She whispered, immediately dropping his arm from her hold. Her own face turned red, probably from the embarrassment of being laughed at.

"Ya- Yasuhirocchi- I never knew!" Kise said in between his giggles, his hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to shut himself up, for the sake of his safety.

"Shu-... Shut up." Kuroi huffed.

Luck was not on Kise's side, as not only Kuroi; but Kasamatsu as well, punched him. Kise crouched on the ground, eyes shut from the pain. "Itai~" He whined childishly, a pout on his face. "Sempai! You, too!?" He wailed, hugging himself.

Kuroi rolled her eyes at Kise, and shined her flashlight through the darkness of the forest.

A rustle and a shape moved ahead of her, making her freeze in her movements. "Ka- Kasamatsu... sempai..." She murmured quietly, her flashlight darting around, trying to find the figure. She knew it wasn't one of the others, because for one; they were all grouped together, and two; the shape was too small and animalistic to be human.

A shudder raked through her body, as she tensed when another rustle came from the right. She vaguely heard Kasamatsu's "_what_", but was otherwise too preoccupied by the thing hidden in the darkness.

"The- the- the..." Kuroi trailed off, flashlight in her hand shaking as she tried to follow the moving creature.

"The what?" Kasamatsu asked, tensing. By now, everyone was quiet; all trying to figure out what was scaring the poor girl.

"... The..." Her flashlight finally zoomed in on the creature, the bush it hid behind quivered. A blackish gray paw came out, and a loud growl made everyone jump.

"MONSTER!" Chitose yelled, taking off into the darkness. Due to his sudden scream, it caused everyone to all to run in different directions, all running away from the snarling beast.

Kuroi, of course, had quickly followed suit, and had accidentally dragged the nearest person, which happened to be Kasamatsu, along with her.

A few minutes of running passed, and she came to a stop, panting quietly. "K- Kuroi, what the hell?" Kasamatsu began, swallowing some much needed air.

"T- The monster..." Kuroi stuttered out, putting a hand over her heart.

"What monster?"

"You heard it, didn't you?"

"... Yeah, but I think it was just a dog..."

"A- A dog?"

"Yeah. Just a stray dog probably too freaked out by everyone's loudness. And your screams."

"... Thanks." Kuroi groaned, falling to her knees. "That makes me feel... awesome." She muttered.

"Yo-... You could let go of my hand now..."

Kuroi blinked, turning to see that she indeed had Kasamatsu's hand still tight in her grip. "I'm too scared to." She admitted after a moment, biting her lip.

Kasamatsu shrugged, looking around. "Well, let's just get back to Kise's." He said, dragging her back the way they came from.

OoOoO

It was a good thing that Kuroi had dropped her flashlight, and Kasamatsu didn't. For one; they could actually see things, with the flashlight Kasamatsu still had, and two; well, Kuroi's flashlight served as a beacon, when they found where they had all left off, before the stray dog had scared them all away.

Kuroi bent down, picking her flashlight up off the ground. She shined it around, before looking at all the different tracks. "Now which way?" She asked, looking up at Kasamatsu.

He shrugged, but looked in the direction they had just come from. "I'm pretty sure it's this way." He said, pointing the opposite way. "I remember you running straight from where we came, which is that way." He nodded, pulling Kuroi along with him.

"Okay." Kuroi wasn't in any position to complain or argue. She just wanted to get back to Kise's, where it was safe and warm, and safe.

OoOoO

By the time they found their way back to Kise's, it was well over four in the morning. Kuroi was as tired as hell. She was sure Kasamatsu well, too. By the looks of the bags under his eyes.

She yawned, and walked up to Kise's room. As soon as she entered, she saw that everyone was now inside, watching some sort of scary movie on the giant TV in his room.

"..." Kasamatsu and Kuroi shared a look, a sudden annoyed and irritated feeling filling their minds.

"Oh, hey! They're back!" Eiichi turned from the TV, smiling at them. "We thought you two died or something!"

"Aww, look, they are holding hands." Hideki commented, making everyone's attention drop to their hands. Kuroi quickly pulled her hand away from Kasamatsu's, blushing in the dim light of the room.

"Why'd it take you so long to get back?" Kise asked, running over to the two.

"That's because _she_ decided it was a good idea to run in the opposite direction." Kasamatsu muttered, rubbing the back of his neck in minor embarrassment.

"Hey, I wouldn't have had to do that, if _someone_ didn't drag us all the way out there in the first place." Kuroi huffed, glaring at Kise.

Kise chuckled awkwardly. "We- well... if someone hadn't thought of this sleepo-"

"It was your idea!" Kuroi groaned, oh so tempted to smack Kise into the next day. "I'm going to sleep." She muttered, walking over to Kise's bed.

"But! We were all going to watch some scary movies!"

"Nope." Kuroi sighed, lying in the soft warm comfort of Kise's bed. It wasn't before long, that sleep soon took her.

OoOoO

When she woke, the sun was high in the sky, shining in through the windows, as trees rustled in the calming wind.

Kuroi yawned, and noticed that everyone else was also passed out, from obvious lack of sleep. She smiled lightly, happy that she got her rest. She looked at the clock, her smile dropping as she noticed the time.

"Freaking 6:47 PM." She hissed, climbing from under the warm blankets. She swung her legs off the side of the bed, and made to get to the bathroom, but tripped over someone.

She yelped and fell to the floor in a heap, accidentally kicking the person, who she now recognized as Genji. The brown haired boy's eyes snapped open, emerald green orbs flickering to her.

"S- Sorry, Genji-sempai." Kuroi murmured, rubbing her elbow. The third year slowly sat up, his hypnotic eyes still focused on her. She awkwardly looked around, before slowly standing up.  
"Yeah... I'm just going to, uh, go to the bathroom..." She crept away, grabbing her bag, being careful of her steps now that she was more awake. Once she made it to Kise's bathroom, she turned, and looked at Genji, whose eyes were still focused on her, before closing the door quickly.

'_Why's he being all creepy all of a sudden?_' Kuroi felt a shiver rack through her body as she turned the tap on to splash cold water on her face. She shook her head and changed out of her pajamas.

Genji was now standing, fully dressed, and organizing his bag. Kuroi blinked at him, before slowly grabbing her own bag. She shoved her clothes inside and made sure that everything was there, before zipping it up.

"Oi," She called, crawling over the bed to poke at Kise, who lay on the other side. "Kise..."

"..."

"Kise!"

"..."

"_KISE!_"

"I'm awake!" He shouted, his hands springing up into the air. He looked around wildly, before his gaze landed on Kuroi. "Oh, Yasuhirocchi... What time is it?"

Kuroi took a moment to check the clock, before turning back to the blond, "its 6:54, in the evening." She said, sitting cross legged on his bed. "Anyways, I'm going to go home now, and I'm pretty sure Genji-sempai is, as well." She cocked her head at Genji, who was going through his duffel bag still.

"Okay, call me later!" Kise said, before lying back down tiredly.

Kuroi rolled her eyes, "What am I, five? But, whatever." She huffed, climbing off his bed, which she will miss, in the end, and walking from his room.

"I'll walk with you to the train station." Genji said, appearing from around the corner, nearly throwing Kuroi off balance.

"S- Sempai, you scared me!" She muttered, putting a hand over her heart. "After with what happened last night, er, this morning. I'm a little bit... jumpy." She confessed, her cheeks turning pink.

"If it makes you feel better, I ran into a tree." Genji offered, his voice monotone.

Kuroi grinned, but then dropped her smile, "Wait, seriously?" He nodded. "Oh, sorry...?" She smiled sheepishly.

"It's alright."

OoOoO

The walk to the train station wasn't surprisingly long as Kuroi thought it would be. Genji, she learned, was actually pretty bad with directions. It seemed that all her friends at least had one little flaw... Not that it mattered. Because she, herself, was flawed.

Kuroi parted ways with the older boy, and got on the train as soon as it came. She sat in the corner, holding her duffel close to her as she stared out the window. Of course, she had her wig on. She had put it on as Genji and her walked to the train station, so she was ready to just get home.

Her mother and father were probably worried about her.

OoOoO

The next day, Kuroi slowly walked onto the school grounds, yawning tiredly. She ran a hand through her hair, messing it up even more, before she began to make her way to class.

Her mom had made her finish her homework, and then made her help with chores and making dinner, as a punishment for being late and not calling. Plus, she had trouble getting to sleep, because of how late she had slept in the previous day.

Again, she reached up to rub at her eyes, mentally readying herself for the long day ahead of her.

Kuroi walked into her class and took her seat. She slumped into her chair, adjusting her pants before looking reaching for her text book. "Eh?" She blinked, realizing that it was not inside her desk. '_Where did I put it? I knew I put it in here..._' She sat up, and reached inside her desk, before her fingers gripped paper. She pulled it out, staring curiously at it. "To Kuro Yasuhiro..." She read out loud. She studied the neatly folded up piece of paper, inspecting it before opening it slowly to read the contents.

'_I know who you truly are. You are not Kuro Yasuhiro, you are not a boy; you are the daughter of Mikoto and Kayate, Kuroi Yasuhiro. If you wish not for your identity to be revealed in the worst ways possible, then please meet me out in the back of the school, by the shed near the track field, after school today._'

OoOoO

Geh- I'm super-duper sorry for not updating in a while TnT; But, I did now? *runs away to start next chapter*

~Love me or Hate me~


	23. Basket Twenty-Three: Drastic Measures

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty-Three: Drastic Measures

OoOoO

Kuroi couldn't believe it. Someone knew who she was? But she had tried so hard... She could almost feel her heart drop down into her stomach, as her thoughts all died out, her mind going blank.

Her purple eyes tore away from the note, scrunching it in her hand. She silently scanned the room, eyeing all the students in her class. Everyone was acting normal, no one paying any more attention than necessary to her.

'_It has to be someone in this class, right? None of the others on the team would have done this, because they're also in danger... Right?_' Her thoughts suddenly came to her in a flurry of words, and she grabbed her head to try to keep them organized.

"Yasuhiro-kun?" She jolted, and looked up to see one of the girls she sat beside. "O- Oh, Yura-chan, was it?" Kuroi asked hesitantly, making sure to deepen her pitch as she spoke.

"Y- Yeah. Uhm, are you okay? You look... Well, you don't look so well." The girl, Yura, spoke quietly, worry clear in her eyes.

"I'm fine... No need to worry." Kuroi offered the girl a smile, before shoving the note inside her duffel bag. Yura nodded, before taking her seat. Kuroi's eyes lingered on the girl, before looking at the board. '_It couldn't be her, it's just the aura she gives off, I guess..._'

OoOoO

The whole time school lasted, Kuroi couldn't help thinking about this mysterious blackmailer of hers. Even during lunch, she had practically forgotten about her food. Which sucked, because now that school was over, she was hungry.

Kuroi paused, realizing that she had just started walking towards the gym. She was so used to it, and a weird sense of deja vu passed over her, before she shook her head. Kuroi turned directions, and headed for the back doors that lead to the track field. She spotted the shed, and pulled the crumpled note from her duffel, staring at it before making her way for the shed.

Her heart thudded against her chest, and Kuroi thought it was going to burst from out her body as she stepped into the shade behind the shed.

"Yo, Kuroi-chan..."

OoOoO

"Sempai!" Kasamatsu turned, staring at Kise who walked up, panting.

"What is it?" He demanded, crossing his arms across his chest. "This better be good, Kise. I need to get things re-"

"I can't find Yasuhirocchi!" Kise wailed, latching onto Kasamatsu like a child. Kasamatsu pushed him off, making Kise trip over his feet and land on the ground in a huff.

"What?" Kasamatsu raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure she isn't just late?"

"But, that's what I mean! Yasuhirocchi's never really late! She loves coming to practice; it's her favorite part of school."

"How do you know that?"

"Uhh-"

"Forget it, when did you see her last?"

"Uhm, during lunch. But she looked... out of it. She didn't even notice when I took some of her ric-_ itai_!" Kise cried, grasping the back of his head.

"You idiot! Don't just go stealing other people's food!" Kasamatsu scolded the blond Ace.

"Sempai!" Kise pleaded, eyes filled with worry. Kasamatsu sighed, and dropped his arms to his sides.

"Okay, so, you're just going to automatically assume that she's been kidnapped or something?"

"Who's been kidnapped?" Kise nearly jumped out of his skin, seeing Moriyama walking up beside him, looking interested all of a sudden.

"Kise thinks Kuroi was kidnapped." Kasamatsu said, twitching as other members of the team began crowding around him, all curious.

"Kidnapped? But, I saw her leave out the back door!" Eiichi exclaimed, hands cupping his cheeks.

"Maybe she's having a face-off." Hideki suggested, grinning.

"The hell?" Jiro raised his delicate eyebrows, giving the black haired boy beside him a '_Are you stupid?_' look.

"I'll go look for her!" Kise shouted, running off.

"Oi! Don't just- _argh_!" Kasamatsu groaned in frustration, clenching his fists before storming after the blond. "You lot! Start stretching!" He shouted, before exiting the gym in search of the blond and the black haired girl.

OoOoO

"I- It's you!... _Uhh_..." Kuroi's mind went blank, trying to remember if she even knew the blackmailer's name.

"Kira. My name is Akiyama Kira."

_Giving a small cough, she approached a random girl, bowing politely. "Ah- erm, sempai, do you know where Kasamatsu-sempai is?" She asked, making her voice into a lower pitch._

_"Eh? Kasamatsu... Kasamatsu... Oh, the captain of the basketball team?" The older girl raised her eyebrows in questioning._

_"Yes, that's him." Kuro let a cool bad-boy type aura around her, pretending as if she didn't care at all, although happiness filled her heart on the inside._

_"Yeah, I think I saw him leave. I think he might have gone to the gym."_

_"Thank you, sempai!" Kuro quickly turned away, leaving the blushing girl. 'Oh Gawd, I don't want any girl to like me.' She thought, shuddering as she pictured the huge blush on that third year's face._

"_Right_..." She drew the word out, nodding slowly. "So your name is Kira... Heh, fitting, I guess."

"I suppose so." Kira replied, smiling _too _innocently. "Now, I guess you know why I've called you here."

"I'm guessing that you want something from me? But, what, money? To make me your little lap dog?"

"No, and no. Although, I still do want something... Just not any of those two things."

Kuroi nodded slowly, considering it. She bit her lip, not wanting to be pulled out from the team. Things were just starting to get good, too. She also didn't want to cause any trouble for them, and possibly even have the club abolished.

"I'll do anything..." She muttered, looking up into the older girls cerulean blue eyes. "Oh, before you go demanding stuff, I just have two questions for you. One; how did you find out about me?"

"Well, it wasn't _that _hard to figure out. All I did was do some... family research."

"Okay, two; why are you doing this?"

"Because, it's like, I dunno, a weird hobby of mine. I like finding people's weaknesses and making them plead and beg and submit in the end." Kira shrugged, grinning almost lazily at her with a slight tilt of her head.

"Well, why don't you just become the _new_ Kira?" Kuroi bit back, feeling annoyance and anger well up inside her. She couldn't believe how innocent this girl had seemed at first.

"I'll get to the point."

"S'bout time." Kuroi new she was digging her grave. It was just like when she was cornered, back at her old school... It's what she was good at, signing her own death certificate.

"I want you, Yasuhiro Kuroi, to be my boyfriend."

"... You _do _know I'm a girl... Just to be clear."

"Of course. But, I want you, the way you are now, to act like my boyfriend."

"This is the weirdest, most obsce-"

"Fine!" Kira snapped, cutting Kuroi off. "I'll just go and tell everyone in school your little secret, then I'll tell the principal, and then, just for kicks, I'll go and tell you parents, too." Her threat came out more of a growl, as her eyes narrowed rather dangerously.

"... One more question."

"Shoot."

"Why do you want me to..."

"Because, it's totally for social ranking and status and all that jazz... You gotta do what you gotta do." Kira grinned, chuckling almost darkly.

"Yeah, yeah, alright. Just calm down there, no need to run for the Death Note, I... accept."

"What's that?"

"I _said _I'll be your... Your _boy_friend." Kuroi spat the words out, seething at the older girl.

"Good, _sweetie._" Kira laughed, walking up to Kuroi. She patted the black haired girl's shoulder, before walking away.

Kuroi stood there silently, watching Kira walk away. She bit her lip, tell she felt blood drip roll down her chin. She reached up, surprised, and wiped the blood away, frowning at the sudden metallic taste.

"Yasuhirocchi!" Kuroi turned, only to be tackled down to the ground. "Kise..." She exclaimed, grabbing the models shoulders to push him off of her.

"We all thought you were kidnapped!" He gaped at her, pulling her from off the ground. Kuroi could have sworn she saw a little tear form in his eye.

"Idiot. That was _your_ thinking." Kasamatsu barked, rolling his eyes at Kise. "You're late." He stated matter-of-factly, eyeing Kuroi.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Thirty laps."

"... Alright." Kuroi nodded, almost solemnly, and turned on her heel. She jogged off, leaving the two staring in her wake.

OoOoO

Yey for random turn of events! And boo for shortness. ; u; But! Omg. 52 favorites. 76 Follows. That is awesome. And 88 reviews? Thank you people, for being so fantastically awesome. Er, awesomely fantastic! - For taking your time reading and reviewing this story~ :D

I hope I can get up to a 100 reviews soon! *O*

~Love me or Hate me~


	24. Basket Twenty-Four: Complications

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty-Four: Complications of Sorts

OoOoO

"_Stupid_. I'm stupid, for actually thinking that I could pull this whole thing off..." Kuroi shook her head. She was beginning to feel more pissed off at herself than at Kira. '_It's okay. It's just till she's done with highschool. Because, then, she'll be out, since she's a third year._' She tried to make herself feel better, honestly, but it just wasn't working.

In her frustration and anger, Kuroi sped up her pace, continuing on with her laps. "Ahhh, mou." She groaned, kicking a nearby rock as she slowed down. She had just finished her fifteenth lap, which meant she was only half down.

Truth be told, Kuroi wasn't exactly feeling up to practicing right now. All she wanted to do was go home and sulk under her covers.

'_I can't._' She argued inwardly, frowning as she stared at the dusty ground. '_I need to deal with my own problems. This is my fault, so I'll find a way to get out of it... I don't need anyone's help._' She nodded with a faint smile on her face as she finally made up her mind. Kuroi took off, eager to finish the last half of her laps so she could join the others at practice.

OoOoO

Kuroi stepped through the doors, panting heavily as sweat freely dripped from her forehead. Due to her anger, she had accidentally pushed herself too hard, and ran way to fast, and now she was beginning to feel the effects of her mistake.

She looked up, almost tiredly, and noticed that everyone was sitting in one big circle type-thing. She cocked her head to the side, licking her lips before walking up.

"What are we all doing, sitting around?" She asked in a whisper, seating herself next to Ishio and some random boy she did not know.

"We're meditating." Ishio replied in his usual quiet calming voice.

"Seriously?"

Ishio nodded, closing his hazel eyes. Kuroi awkwardly stared at him, before looking at the others. They all had their eyes closed, and appeared to be in deep concentration. She slowly put her hands on her lap, and sighed before closing her eyes. Her poor attempt at meditation failed, and she eventually gave up when she realized that her thoughts were still on Kira, which only made her hidden anger flare.

Five minutes later, their Coach walked in, a basketball in his hand. "Nice of you to finally join us, Yasuhiro."

"Sorry, Coach." She bowed her head, standing up with the rest of the team.

"Alright, today, we'll be playing... Tag. Only, with _my_ rules," Coach Takeuchi said, dribbling the ball a few times. He threw it in the air, and a boy with blond hair and silver eyes caught it with ease.

"Okay, Takeshi, _you_ - are it. The purpose of the game is for the ones who do not have the ball, is to take the ball. And the person who is "it", must keep it away from _everyone._ Now, I will be timing whoever has the ball and whoever has it the ball the longest - wins." Everyone shared looks with each, grins glued to their faces. "Also, there is a bonus! Whoever manages to get points gets an extra ten seconds added to their time!"

"Start!" They all turned to Takeshi, and Kuroi could have sworn she saw a challenge rise in his eyes, before he took off, guarding the ball as if it was his very soul.

OoOoO

Kuroi had been so lost after half an hour had passed. So many people had stolen the ball, only for it to be taken from them the next second. It was actually Kise, who had it for the longest. Two minutes and 14 seconds, before Kasamatsu managed to steal it away from him.

Kasamatsu now had it just over a minute, and Kuroi grinned. She was going to steal it from him.

Kasamatsu's back was to her, as she stayed out of the fray of eager males. Slowly, Kuroi crept towards Kasamatsu, who was too busy trying to keep the ball away from the others, as he began to make his way to the hoop.

'_I see what you're planning, sempai._' She thought, eyes narrowing as she studied the movements of his muscles. A small smirk appeared on her face as she darted forward, just before his muscles tensed in a way just before he was about to make a jump for the hoop.

'_A lay-up._' She predicted, reaching him just in time, she readied herself to jump and knock the ball out of his grasp. Only, the one thing she didn't count on was her shoelaces.

Kuroi let a girly yelp out as her left foot stepped down right on her undone shoelaces from her right shoe, and she felt her weight tip forward. It seemed almost in slow motion, as not only herself began to fall haphazardly, but also knocking Kasamatsu, mid-jump, down with her.

The two landed on the ground rather painfully, and Kuroi could only let a groan out, hearing the laughs and chuckles coming from her team mates.

"Ku- Kuroi..." Kuroi opened her eyes, wishing she didn't, as soon as she saw that she was nearly nose to nose with Kasamatsu. And, to make matters worse, she was on top of him.

"SEMPAI! I'M SORRY!" She cried, rolling off of him with some weird extreme speed, making the others only laugh harder. Kasamatsu waved his hand, as if accepting the apology, as he stood up slowly. His face was almost as red as a strawberry, and Kuroi couldn't help but start laughing as well.

"I got it!" They all stopped, and turned to Kise, who was holding the ball up victoriously, a sparkle in his golden yellow eyes. Kuroi shared a look with Kasamatsu.

"Coach didn't say anything about working together..." Kuroi began, a sly smile making its way to her face.

"Then let's get him." Kasamatsu finished, before taking off after the blond, who yelped and started running while awkwardly dribbling the ball to match his pace.

OoOoO

Practice was now over, and Kuroi walked out of the girls' changing room cautiously, before making her way to the exit. For some reason, it left her in a good mood.

"Yasuhirocchi!" She stopped, and turned to look up at Kise, who came jogging out from the boys' locker room (of doom).

"What's up?" Kuroi asked, staring curiously at the blond. "Still not sad about being beat by a girl, are you?" She asked slyly, enjoying the small pout Kise gave her.

"N- No... But, I was wondering if you wanted to w-"

"Kuro-kun!" Both of their heads snapped in the direction of the doors. Kira stood there, hands on her hips, a small innocent smile on her face.

"Eh? Who's that?" Kise blinked, looking in between Kuroi and the girl.

"M- my... gi- gir-... _friend_!" Kuroi sputtered out, before running towards the pale blond haired girl. She grabbed her, and pulled out from the gym, and all the way outside.

Once they were far enough, Kuroi turned to her, glare on her face. "What are you _doing_?!" Kuroi hissed to her, frowning. '_Okay, good feeling is officially gone._' She thought.

"Uh, hello. Dating? Kinda the point." Kira rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to walk me home."

"No."

"... Okay, then. I guess I could just tell everyone your secret, and get the basketball team disba-"

"Okay! Okay... I'll walk you home." Kuroi muttered, giving into her demands. "Where do you live?" It came out more of a grumble, than what she had expected, but it seemed to pass by Kira.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetie. I live close by."

"Good." Kuroi muttered, as she started walking in the direction Kira started to.

"Oh, can you take my bag? It's heavy." Kira asked in a whine, holding her pink and red bag out to Kuroi.

"... Fin-_ Holy_- What the hell is in here?" Kuroi demanded, pulling the bag on her free shoulder. Its weight was probably even heavier than her duffel bag.

"Oh, my volleyball equipment. If you didn't know, I'm on the Volleyball team."

"Good to know." Kuroi sighed.

About ten minutes later, they finally arrived at Kira's house. It was average sized, but at the same time, expensive looking.

'_Figures._' Kuroi fought the urge to scoff or scowl, as she walked Kira up to her door. Kira turned to her, taking her bag with a stormy smile. "Thanks for walking me home, Kuro-kun." She said, almost too perfectly.

Kuroi nodded, trying her best to give a normal looking smile. "Y- You're welcome... honey." Kuroi replied, her heart practically stopping at the thought of referring to Kira as 'honey'.

She was about to turn and leave, to make her way back home, but Kira stopped her with a firm grip around her arm. Kuroi winced, wondering how the girl was stronger than she looked.

Kira pulled her forward, her face close to Kuroi's. Kuroi froze, her eyes widening as Kira pulled her even closer, noses nearly touching.

The girl in front of her snorted with laughter, pushing Kuroi away quickly. "Did you think I was really going to kiss you?" She whispered harshly, laughing loudly. "I don't make out with girls." She added in a hiss, before giving Kuroi a dark smile.

She turned on her heel, and unlocked the front door. She started laughing again as she entered her house, and slammed the door on Kuroi.

Kuroi listened to the hateful melody of Kira's laughter before it faded away, and she slowly turned around, making her way back towards the school in order to find her way to the train station. Now, she was officially pissed off.

OoOoO

I just want to say, I finished reading my Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood book and chapter 56 was the _shortest _chapter I have ever read/seen before. Seriously. It's made up of 85 words. xD I just thought it was slightly awesome. And yeah, I counted.

~Love me or Hate me~


	25. Basket Twenty-Five: Not my Day

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty-Five: Not my Day

OoOoO

Kuroi had missed the train she usually caught after school, so she had to wait for the next one.

By the time she got off the train, rain started to poor, soaking her clothing and hair. She had stopped in the mall, as usual, changed, and managed to dry her hair before putting the wig back on.

When she arrived home, her mother was standing in the hall way five feet away from the door, arms crossed and a frown on her face. "Kuroi, what on _earth _took you so long?" She demanded.

Kuroi let a sigh out as she dropped her duffel bag on the ground, taking her sopping wet shoes off, and proceeding to strip her blazer off. Her skirt awkwardly stuck to her legs, and she moved her wet bangs of her wig out of her face. "Uhm, I was... Walking my friend home." She said. It was only half the truth, even though she did not, under any circumstances, consider Kira her friend.

"Oh, well. Just call me next time. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"You know, you missed your father."

"Huh?" Kuroi blinked stupidly, tilting her head to the side.

"He stopped by about an hour ago, and said he had to go on an urgent business trip, in America."

"America?" Kuroi raised her brow, unbuttoning her blouse as she walked up the stairs towards her room.

"Yeah, and he left about half an hour ago. He'll be back in five days."

"... Sorry." Kuroi said quietly, before entering her room. She locked the door behind her, and stripped the wig off. She was going to need to blow dry it later, or else it'd dry all awkward and poofy like.

"Crossdressing is hard." She mused to herself, getting ready to take a shower.

She felt bad; that she missed her dad's departing. '_Oh well, I could still call him and talk to him over the phone and the internet._' She smiled softly, closing the door to her bathroom.

OoOoO

The next day, Kuroi had woken up early to here birds chirping so loudly by her window. Any other time, she would have welcomed it, but for some reason, on this particular day, she despised it.

With a groan, Kuroi pushed herself out of bed. She was tired, as she had stayed up late last night, trying to finish homework and do the chores she was told to do. She changed and put her wig on and slowly walked down the stairs. As usual, her mother was already busying herself around in the kitchen, making breakfast, almost in a hurry.

"Morning, mom." Kuroi greeted, voice coming out in a tired whisper.

"Good morning." Her mother's warm smile made her feel better than before, and Kuroi gave her mom a smile back. "Breakfast is almost ready." Kayate said, grabbing two plates out of the cupboard. She placed them onto the table, and gently placed the cutlery beside the milky white plates.

"Ah... I'm probably going to have to walk my friend home again..." Kuroi said, a sudden annoyance filling her mind.

Kayate raised her eyebrows, disappearing in her bangs. "Isn't your friend capable of walking herself home?"

"Um. No... She gets lost easy... ?"

Lies upon lies... Upon lies. Kuroi knew she was always feeding her parents lies. But she had to do it. She already made up her mind, and nothing was going to stop her.

Not Kira, not anyone.

OoOoO

Kuroi was walking towards the school at a medium-fast pace. She could see it clearly in sight, and she knew by now that she would have probably one or two minutes, once she walked through the front doors, to get to her class and sit in her desk and have everything ready just before the bell rang.

What she wasn't expecting was to see Kira standing by the gate, books in hand, hair pulled into a high ponytail. "Ah! Kuro-kun!" She greeted happily, a light blush dusting her cheeks. She skipped over, almost shyly, and held her hand out.

"Playing hard to get, dearie?" Kuroi muttered under her breath, awkwardly reaching her hand out to hold Kira's. Kira squeezed her hand, and Kuroi shut up, and played along with Kira.

Kira took her time walking to class, even taking the long way around, just to show off her new 'boyfriend'. Kuroi was sure that the rumors would spread before lunch. The bell had ringed nearly two minutes ago, and the two finally arrived at Kira's class. The blond stopped in order to mess her hair up, only confusing Kuroi.

Through the glass window, she could see Kasamatsu. He sat near the back, his chin in his palm, as he copied the notes from the board. Kira suddenly opened the door, and walked in with a shy and embarrassed smile.

"Akiyama-san, you're late."

"Sorry, sensei. But my boyfriend held me up..." She giggled, turning to smile as innocently as she could at Kuroi, before closing the door behind her.

Kuroi, felt her heart practically freeze over, as she noticed Kasamatsu turn in his chair to look, as if curious.

Their eyes met, and Kuroi immediately turned away from his shocked yet mildly confused and questioning look in his eyes, and quickly hurried off to her own class.

OoOoO

The lunch bell rang, and Kuroi, dreading seeing Kira again, took her time with putting her books and binder back inside her desk.

The memory of her finding the note flashed in her head briefly, before she shook her head to rid of the images. Kuroi stood, and walked to the door, bento in her hand.

"Yasuhirocchi!" The voice startled her, and Kuroi looked up to see Kise standing there, hands on his hips.

"Kise..." She said weakly, nodding in greeting. "What are you doing here? I thought that we'd usually me-"

"Is there something you're not telling me?!"

'_Yes._' "No..." Kuroi cleared her throat, as she began walking towards the doors. Lately, she has always been going outside to eat her lunch. In the end, Kise would always find her, and even drag the others along with him.

"Yasuhirocchi... The jig is up!" Kise exclaimed loudly, falling into step beside the crossdressing female.

"What _jig_? No one's jigging." She tried to insist, a million other thoughts rushing in her mind.

"I saw you and that girl who is in Kasamatsu-sempai's class walking hand in hand! You passed by my class. Then I heard one of the girls saying that you two were kissing!"

"Kissing!? Of course not!" Kuroi denied it loudly, causing other students attention to turn her way. She flushed, and lowered her voice. "I'm not dating her." She whispered harshly.

"What?" Kise leaned forward, straining his ears to hear Kuroi.

"Nothing! It's nothing, Kise." She insisted again, pushing past the model to get outside the door.

Kise frowned, and watched Kuroi go. '_I'll find out, Kuroi._' He thought, turning on his heel to head to Kasamatsu's class, keen on finding that girl.

OoOoO

Kuroi exhaled loudly, her back hitting the tree. She half expected Kise to follow her out her, like he usually did, but he never showed.

She was kind of greatful, but then at the same time, she felt oddly lonely. Kuroi stared at her food her mother had made her the previous day. She took her fork, staring at the small heart decoration that sat on her rice. A small smile appeared on her face, and Kuroi found that she had to force herself to eat it, even though she was not hungry at all.

Kuroi remembered the last time she didn't touch her lunch, and it always came with some sort of consequence. Be it feeling faint, sick, or even getting scolded by Kasamatsu _and _her mother...

The odds were never in her favor.

OoOoO

Lunch and her previous class had passed by as slow as it could, and the bell was just about to ring, as it was nearly the end of the school day.

It would be time for after school activities, and Kuroi was thankful that Kira had volleyball practice afterwards. For at least two hours, she wouldn't have to see the pale blond's devious face.

Kuroi watched the clock tick away, and finally, the bell rang. She collected her things, and grabbed her duffel as she always did. The black haired girl walked out of her classroom, bidding her classmates goodbye's as they did to her, and quickly made her way for the gym, being extra careful not to go by Kira's class and by the volleyball teams area.

Once she arrived, she went inside the girls changing room, and sat herself on the desk. She grumbled quietly to herself, as no one else was in there, and changed. Kuroi left her things in the locker, double checking it just to be sure it was safe from any prying eyes, and walked out into the gym, and onto the basketball court.

All the boys herded out of the changing room, and headed towards the center, where Kasamatsu was standing on part of the bleacher.

Kuroi accidentally caught his watching eyes, and quickly looked away, focusing on her shoes rather than what was going on around her.

Kasamatsu cleared his throat, "Alright, listen up, everyone!" Everyone went quite, their attention now focused on Kasamatsu.

"The Kanagawa Prefecture's Interhigh Preliminaries will be starting next week!" Kuroi jumped, hearing everyone's excited talk all of a sudden. She had to admit, the way Kasamatsu quieted them down with a menacing glare and a threat to hit them all was amusing and useful. Kuroi curled her fingers into a fist, as her heart beat sped up ever so slightly.

This is what she wanted. Soon, they would be going up against different teams, all competing to win the Interhigh. She could feel her stomach twist in excited knots, just thinking about it.

"We will be going up against Kaisei Gakuen and Musashi High in the first week! So be ready!"

OoOoO

_Oouuuu_, Kira, what'cha gonna do, what'cha gonna do when-... uh, Kise comes for you?

_Kuroi: That was a fail! *slaps*_

Leave me alone! *runs away crying*

_Kise:... Yasuhirocchi... Now who's gonna write the next chapter!? _

_Kuroi: I will!_

_Kise: I'm doomed! D:_

~Love me or Hate me~


	26. Basket Twenty-Six: On a Leash

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty-Six: On a Leash

OoOoO

With the Interhigh Preliminaries coming up, Kuroi barely had time to take a little breather. She was busy. She had to 'attend' to Kira's 'needs and wants', do homework (or else she'll be pulled from after school activities, which she obviously can't have), do her chores, and practice even longer than expected with everyone else.

It wasn't only Kasamatsu who was busting her ass; it was Kira, her mother, and even her teachers. She was beginning to get fed up with all of them telling her that she needs to "pick up her slack, or else". It was getting tiring, and she only wanted to reply with "Shove it."

It was now Thursday, and she was currently at practice. "Hold it!" Kasamatsu's voice rang and flooded in her ears, and Kuroi could feel the sweat just dripping off her head and onto the grassy ground. The muscles in her arms stung painfully, and she could feel them getting weaker as seconds passed by.

The two were outside; the bright sunlight didn't bother them, as they were sitting under a tree, the shade keeping them company.

"Hold it." His voice was now like a whisper in her ear; ghostly, even. And for some reason, it made her blush. '_Great,_' she thought, her arms practically shaking as she tried to hold her plank position. '_I think I'm going to die of heat stroke, or something._'

"Five, four, three, two, _one_-"

Kuroi let a choked noise out, out of relief, as she collapsed onto the ground. She lay there, silent, and staring at the rich green grass which tickled her cheek and body as the wind blew past. "I thought I was going to die." She admitted, albeit quietly.

Kasamatsu snorted. "It was only ten minutes."

"The longest ten minutes of my life." She replied, slowly sitting up. She groped at her arms, thinking of how she could practically hear her muscles crying and groaning in protest. Kuroi could feel Kasamatsu's intense gaze directed at her, but she pretended not to notice as she continued her stare off with the ground.

"Kuroi..." Kasamatsu started, but stopped himself, his voice trailing off into silence.

"Hm?" Kuroi hummed in response, after a few seconds. She still kept her gaze firmly on the ground, but spared a look and saw Kasamatsu looking at the ground, biting his lip, as if in deep thought.

Guilt filled her heart, seeing Kasamatsu's almost _pained _expression. She quickly looked away, and poked at her shoelaces awkwardly.

"Are you..." He finally spoke, making Kuroi stop momentarily. "Okay?" He finished. Again, Kuroi could feel his burning stare crash into her, and she found it almost too overwhelming to look up at him.

"... M'fine." She mumbled after wetting dry lips. "I'm fine." She repeated, pulling her legs close to her chest, hugging them for comfort. As badly as she wanted to believe it, she was not, by any means - _fine._

A pale hand crossed her vision, making her flinch back for a moment, until she realized that Kasamatsu had reached forward to pull something from her hair. She expected his hand to pull away, or drop, or something. But, instead, he gently grasped her chin, and made her look up into his eyes.

"S- Sorry," He stuttered, face heating up. "There was a piece of grass in your hair..." He muttered. Kuroi could only nod dumbly, too amazed at his closeness. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, noticing his eyes flick down to her parted lips. "Ka-"

"Sempai! Yasuhirocchi~!" Kise seemingly popped out of nowhere, slinging his arms around the two with a grin on his face, evidently tearing the two apart.

Kasamatsu sputtered in embarrassment, whilst Kuroi fell silent. "Kise, are you a ninja?" She asked after a moment.

"Only the good kind." Kise replied cheerily, pulling the two along with him, heading back towards the gym. "It's my job."  
"I thought being a model was your job." Kuroi snorted, crossing her arms as she tried to pull out of the blonds hold. He wouldn't let go, and only grinned further.

"Speaking of which," He started, his eyes rising to look at the cloudless blue sky. "I have this one job on Saturday. That's okay, right, sempai?" He asked, sounding almost cheeky.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Kasamatsu finally spoke, elbowing the blond, slipping out of his grasp. Kise stopped to rub at his side, a pout on his face.

"But... I was just wondering if you two wanted to come along!" That made Kuroi stop, so she could stare curiously at Kise.

"Come to your modeling place?"

"Yup!"

"Interesting..." Kuroi wouldn't admit it, but she has always been wondering what kind of place Kise worked at. She has always been curious. Now, she supposed, was the perfect opportunity.

"O-" Just as she was about to agree, Kira came jogging up.

"Kuro-kun!" The pale locks of hair bounced and flew in the wind as she ran over, smile on her face.

'_Awh, man..._' "Kira..." Kuroi greeted the girl.

"Oh, hello, Kasamatsu-kun, Kise-kun."

"H- Hey..." Kasamatsu stuttered out, turning away.

"Yo." Kise practically growled out, surprising Kuroi and Kasamatsu. The two black haired teens shared a look, before looking at their golden blond friend.

"Kise..." Kuroi muttered, grabbing his wrist. "I need to talk to you." She said, pulling the glaring blond away Kira and Kasamatsu.

Once they were far enough away, Kuroi turned to Kise. "Kise, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Kise insisted, folding his arms across his chest, even though he still had a small frown on his face.

"You clearly did something. Just tell me."

"... I only talked to her."

"Well? What'd you say?"

"I told her to..."

"To?"

"To leave you alone..."

"..." Kuroi shook her head, looking at the ground. "You don't understand, Kise."

"Then make me understand!"

"I can't!" Kuroi said, stomach twisting painfully. "Just... please, don't say anything else to her." She said, before turning away from Kise. Kuroi made her way back towards where Kira and Kasamatsu were, and walked up to Kira.

"What do you want?" She asked, voice soft.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out on the weekend, you know, like, gir-" Kira blinked, staring at Kuroi's hand, which was now covering her mouth.

"Yeah, sure, just uh, still in practice." Kuroi stated, glaring at Kira. Kira smiled under her hand. She pushed Kuroi's hand away, looking smug.

"Alright, I'll call you then. Oh, and, practice is usually over now."

"We have the Interhigh Preliminaries coming up." Kuroi said, pushing Kira in the opposite direction.

"Alright, guess I'll just walk home by myself today." She huffed out, before leaving the three.

Silence set in, and Kuroi bit her lip. "Kuroi..."

"What?" She asked, turning to Kasamatsu. Kise blinked, looking in between the two. "I thought we were gonna go to my modeling job!"

"I can't. Not anymore."

"It seems like you're on a leash." Kasamatsu murmured, before turning away. "Anyways, you could go home now. She was right, practice is over." He stated quite coldly, before making his way back to the gym.

Kise frowned, and walked away, but not before giving Kuroi a desperate looking glance. She did nothing, but only stare at the grass.

Kise sighed, and followed after Kasamatsu.

OoOoO

D'aww. Poor Kise, Kasamatsu, and Kuroi. But, the Kasamatsu and Kuroi moment was cute in this chapter. Lol. (*cough* KasaHiro *cough cough*)

~Love me or Hate me~


	27. Basket Twenty-Seven: A Gentle Hug

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty-Seven: A Gentle Hug

OoOoO

The next day rolled around, and Kuroi was currently at home, wrapped up in her warm covers. She could hear her alarm clock blaring, but hardly paid any attention to it.

"Kuroi."

Kuroi only groaned in response, pulling one of her pillows over her head.

"Kuroi!"

"What?" She finally answered, throwing the pillow off the edge of the bed. She sighed and reached for the snooze button, hitting it harder than usually. She paused, quickly fixing her wig, before she opened her door. "What?" She repeated, huffing.

"Don't use that tone with me." Her mother hummed, running a hand through Kuroi's wig's unruly strands.

"Sorry."

"You're going to be late for school; you didn't even eat your breakfast." Kayate frowned. "Are you feeling okay?"

"M'fine. Just... tired. And upset." Kuroi answered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she went to her bed, collapsing into the soft sheets again, wanting so much to go back to sleep.

"Are you depressed?" A worried look crossed Kayate's face.

"No. Upset, I said." Kuroi replied in a huff, blinking tiredly at her mother as she slowly shifted into a sitting position, knowing her mother was only going to nag her further until she finally got up.

"Oh, Kuroi." Her mother sighed softly. "Do we need to have the talk?" She asked after a moment.

"Whoa, what talk? Not _the talk_, right?"

"Of course not, we already had that talk, didn't we?" Her mother rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I was talking about the talk we had before. But on a larger scale."

"Uh, no. I'm good." Kuroi smiled. She stood, and stretched. "I'm getting ready." She said softly. Kayate nodded and left her daughter to change. Kuroi quickly put her uniform on and then went to gather her things.

She bid her mother goodbye, before leaving the house. "Now for another long day." She spoke sarcastically, feeling her stomach grumble in hunger.

OoOoO

Kuroi had stayed in her class room for lunch. She sat, eating slowly, and silently mulling over her thoughts. She needed to find a way out of this, on her own. She didn't want any help. The bell rang, and she looked at the clock before beginning to clean up her little mess.

After school, she stood up hastily, and practically zoomed straight out of her class and down the hall, all the way towards Kira's classroom.

As anticipated, she spotted Kasamatsu putting his things away, unaware of her. Kuroi walked in, and grabbed Kira's wrist. "Kira, we need to talk!" Kuroi whispered, hoping Kasamatsu wouldn't be turning around anytime soon. Fortunately, he didn't, and Kuroi quickly dragged a confused looking Kira out of the classroom.

"Kuro-kun, don't you have practice?" She asked, smirking knowingly.

"Yeah, yeah. I just want to talk to you quickly." Kuroi huffed out. Kira gave her a look, but followed Kuroi out of the building and into the track field, behind the shed where they first met when this whole ordeal started.

"Okay, here's the deal-"

"Whatever are you talking about, Kuroi?" Kira scowled at the black haired girl as she crossed her arms.

"You can go ahead and tell everyone that I'm a girl, or whatever," Kuroi stopped, looking intently at Kira's faltered gaze. "But, if you do, then I'll just say that you're really a lesbian, and that you _really _just wanted to date me. Then, your "reputation" or whatever will be ruined." Kuroi smirked wickedly, hands on her hips.

Kira glared at her, "You're bluffing." She spat out.

"Try me." Kuroi replied, staring at Kira equally. Kira gave her a disinterested glance, before turning on her feet. "Fine!" She snapped, making Kuroi's shoulders slump in relief. "Just don't go crying to your mommy, Kuroi." Kira threatened, turning on her heel and stomping back towards the school, pale blond locks blowing fiercely in the wind as her cerulean blue eyes narrowed.

Kuroi watched Kira leave, and let a sigh out. She archer her head towards the sky, blinking at the clouds, before a small smile crossed her face. She quickly ran back inside the school, making her way towards the gym where practice was always held, her fingers curling tightly around her duffel strap.

OoOoO

"_Mou_, Yasuhirocchi!" Kise whined loudly, slinging an arm around the girl. "You had me worried. Again!" He cried out, latching onto her arm. Kuroi rolled her eyes, fighting the smile away; as she gently pushed Kise off of her.

"I'm fine." She finally grinned, making Kise tilt his head at her, curious.

"What happened?"

"Nothing!" Kuroi practically sang, going into the changing room, so she could join the others for practice.

Once she finished changing, Kuroi came out, fixing her shirt, before walking up to join the group, whose attention was focused on Kasamatsu and the Coach. She stepped up beside Kise, giving him a glance, before focusing her attention on the two.

"Alright, so, our first match in the Interhigh Prelims will be starting on Monday!" Kasamatsu voiced, making everyone smile or grin, from the excitement. "Coach and I have decided the players we will be using for the first match, against Kaisei Gakuen," Kuroi clenched her fists, heart beating wildly in her chest. She hoped that she could at least play in one of the matches.

"Kise, Kobori, Hayakawa, Yasuhiro, and I will play in this first match!" Kasamatsu stated loudly. Kuroi could have sworn her heart nearly stopped, before she grinned widely. Kasamatsu turned and went to get things ready for their practice, but Kuroi quickly walked up to him, trying to hold her smile back.

"Kuroi?" Kasamatsu questioned, cocking his eyebrow at her. She chuckled, and swung her arms around the older boy, pulling him close in a hug.

"I won't let you down, Kasamatsu!" She whispered, a look of pride held on her features. Kasamatsu sputtered, his face going red.

"Wh- What do I do?" He asked quietly, remembering when Kuroi had vowed to him that she would help him get over his "fear" of women (even though he told her it wasn't a fear).

"Hug back." Kuroi stated simply. Her heart fluttered, feeling Kasamatsu slowly reach his arms around her waist, settling gently, as if afraid to hurt her in any way.

OoOoO

Thank you to MusicofMadness for the idea! :D And no one worry, Kira's still not done with yet.

Also, for some reason, I went to watch the Kaijou vs Touou match, and then I felt the need to write more. Gah, I just wanna get to that match already! *spazz spazz* So many ideas. TuT But then, I don't want to rush things. Either way, I finished this chapter, listening to Takao sing "Catal Rhythm", on reply. *shot* Pretty sure I burst out singing along in English more than a few times, and my friend kept giving me weird looks... _You say you wanna jump back up? You remember the catal rhythm, don't you?~_

~Love me or Hate me~


	28. Basket Twenty-Eight: A Day with a Model

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty-Eight: A Day with a Model

OoOoO

The next morning, Kuroi woke up on the good side of the bed (if there really was one). She blinked slowly, still half asleep, and grinned suddenly. For some reason, she felt so... free.

Free from Kira.

She sat up, and gave her room a stare, before spotting a small paper on her desk. With a quick glance to her clock, reading the time as 10:51 A.M., Kuroi got up lazily. She took her wig off, before reaching for the note to inspect it. She read it, and immediately noticed that it was Kise's number, from a while back.

Kuroi remembered what Kise had said a couple days ago, about visiting his work place with him, and Kuroi smirked. Since she was free from Kira, she could actually go.

The black haired girl reached for her cellphone, dialing her blond team mate's number, and held it close to her ear.

"_Hello?_"

"Kise-"

"_Yasuhirocchi! Why are you calling me? Do you wanna go on a da-_"

"Don't make me hang up, Kise." Despite the blond's attempt, she was still smiling. She heard silence, and took that as her cue to continue on. "So, you were inviting Kasamatsu and I to go to you-"

"_My work! Yeah! Can you go!?_"

"You don't have to shout." Kuroi huffed into the phone, resisting the urge to laugh.

"_Hehe, sorry! But, can you?_" Kise asked, sounding excited all of a sudden.

"Y- yeah. Also, I just wanted to say I was sorry, from before..." She knew she hadn't apologized yesterday, since the blond seemed to be nowhere near her, as practice continued on. "I thought you were mad at me." She admitted, sounding sheepish.

"_I'm not mad!_" Kise replied, "_Sempai just had me doing other things, since we were split into different groups._"

"That's right." Kuroi mused, leaning back in her chair.

Kise chuckled, letting a hum out, before speaking up again, "_Oh! I was going to meet Kasamatsu-sempai at the tea house by the school, you know, the one we passed by when we went to visit Kurokocchi? My work isn't that far from there, so do you just want to meet us there?_"

Kuroi nodded, but then felt like smacking herself since Kise couldn't even see her. "Uh, yeah, sure." She replied quickly.

"_Okay! Be there at 12:00!_"

"Today?" Kuroi raised her eyebrow.

"_Yup!_" Kise chimed through the line.

"A- Alright."

"_Oh, Yasuhirocchi, one more thing,_"

"Hm?"

"_Make sure to dress as a girl!_"

"E- uh- Kise!"

"_Bye bye, see you soon~!_"

"Oi-!" Kuroi heard the familiar beep, showing that Kise had hung up. She sighed in defeat, and put her cell back on her desk. She turned in her office chair, and faced her room. Kuroi stared at the mess she called her room, reveling in thought that she hadn't actually bothered to clean it much, as she had been so busy with school and practice.

Grumbling to herself, she stood and searched for clothing that wasn't dirty, and eventually settled with a dark grey, almost black skirt, with weird lacey-frills under the bottom. She remembered her mother had bought this for her on her last birthday. Kuroi had replied with how she wasn't the "Lolita type of girl", but wore it anyways, just to please her mother. She hadn't worn it in a while, so it would probably make her mother happy, in the least.

Accompanying the weird skirt was a tank top her father had bought her, claiming she needed more clothes, even though her closet was full of clothing. It was a purple color, with a turquoise colored heart with pale green stripes. This, also, had frills, but only on the straps.

Kuroi didn't understand her parents' choice in clothing for her, but didn't really care all that much. She pulled on a matching pair of ankle socks, and grabbed her cellphone and wallet, before pulling her unruly wig on.

'_The only good thing about this skirt is that there are pockets in it._' She thought, shoving her wallet and cell inside said pockets, before she went into her bathroom to brush the knots out of her wig.

Once she was finished, she quickly left her room, and ran down the stairs. Her mother was seated on the couch, watching a TV show Kuroi didn't recognize. She turned from her position on the couch, giving her daughter a curious look.

"Mom, I'm going out!" Kuroi said, pulling her sneakers on.

"Where to?"

"My friends." Kuroi stated, giving her mother a wave of the hand, before leaving the house swiftly.

OoOoO

Kuroi had successfully made it to the school. Now, all she had to do was get to the tea shop, or whatever Kise called it. She continued forward, the school slowly disappearing from sight.

She pulled her cellphone from her pocket, deciding to check the time. "11:40..." She murmured. Depending on how far it was, which she wasn't clear on, she could probably make it on time. Picking up her pace, Kuroi quickly moved forward and rounded a corner, walked down a half-busy street. She paid no mind to the people around her, and only focused on reading the signs around her.

After a few minutes, she found a tea shop, that had the word "_Chashitsu_" painting in black characters. She quickly spotted a blob of girls surrounding the doors, and Kuroi was sure that was the right tea house.

She made sure to look both ways before crossing the street, before making her way towards the shop. "Excuse me," Kuroi said. None of the whispering girls moved, and Kuroi twitched. "Excuse me!" She tried again. No one seemed to recognize her existence, so Kuroi heaved a sigh, and pushed past the girls, and managed to squeeze her way into the shop.

It was easy, she was used to it.

"Yasuhirocchi!" Kuroi blinked, and searched the many tables and chairs, before spotting Kise. The blond was sitting beside a freaked out looking Kasamatsu, whose face was almost entirely red.

She walked over, and sat down. "Hey." She smiled.

"I'm glad you could make it!" Kise grinned, letting his hand drop onto the table softly. He had a cup of what appeared to be simple green tea, whereas Kasamatsu had a cup of a reddish-orange tea. Kuroi briefly wondered what flavor it was, before her attention was drawn to the black haired boy. Her eyes met his, and he quickly looked away, almost shyly.

She blinked, and looked around awkwardly. "So, uh... Can't wait for the first match in the Preliminaries. I know we'll win, and get accepted into the Interhigh!" She smirked, leaning back in her chair, making herself more comfortable.

Kise looked daze, only for a moment, before grinning in agreement. "My fangirls are everywhere." He muttered after a moment. "I feel like I can hardly do anything with seeing them everywhere I go."  
"You should wear a disguise." Kuroi said, chuckling.

"Uh.. Yasuhirocchi..."

"What?"

"I don't think they like you..." Kise muttered, his eye twitching as his fangirls all glared at Kuroi through the glass of the doors and windows. Kuroi stared, before turning away disinterested.

"Not my problem."

"Thankfully the lady that runs this shop knows my mother, so she's closed it off from all those girls." Kise laughed, taking a sip of his tea.

Kuroi nodded in understanding, before shifting her gaze to Kasamatsu. "Still... afraid of girls?" She asked quietly. Kasamatsu twitched at the word "afraid", and shook his head. "No." He replied, sitting up straight in his seat, putting up a front.

Kuroi smiled, and shook her head. Silently, she slipped her hand under the table, and slowly laced her fingers with his.

She watched his expression turn into one of surprise and soon his whole face was red. Kuroi was also surprised that he didn't let go, and only let her hold his warm, clammy hand.

Kise, who didn't seem to notice, kept on talking about what he was going to do with this photo-shoot. Kuroi tried to pay attention, but she couldn't help but lose interest every so often.

After half an hour, they stood up to leave. Thankfully, the owner of the place had managed to shoo all the eager fans away, so now they were free to leave. Kuroi had taken her hand away from Kasamatsu's, and followed Kise out of the shop.

"Tada~" Kise cooed, waving his hands at the long limousine that just pulled up next to the shop.

"Baka! I thought we'd walk there!" Kasamatsu glowered at the blond, making Kise back up into the limo, almost tripping over his own two feet.

"You said it was close!" Kuroi added, hands on her hips. Just then, a familiar looking butler-dude stepped out, and Kuroi could have sworn he was the first guy from when they all went on the training camp. She blinked, watching him open the door, motioning for them to enter.

Kise stepped inside, ducking his head as he did so, and settled by the window seat. Kuroi shared a look with Kasamatsu, before going inside. She looked at the interior, amazed at the colors and small decorations. It definitely didn't look like any normal limo, not that Kuroi could complain, since she hasn't even been in a limo before, until now.

Kasamatsu got in after them, and the butler closed the door, and climbed into the driver's seat, way at the front. The engine hummed to life, and they started off towards Kise's modeling company.

As predicted, it didn't even take four minutes to pull up in the back of the company building. Kuroi rolled her eyes at Kise, who said he was too lazy to walk, as she climbed out after Kasamatsu.

"You're not allowed to be lazy, Kise." Kuroi said, fixing her skirt.

"Especially since the match is in two days."

"Speaking of which," Kuroi cut in, Kise's shoulder deflating as he was interrupted. "Is it during school?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome!" Kise erupted, grinning from ear to ear.

"Idiot, we still have to do the work we missed." Kuroi shot back, sticking her tongue out childishly. Kise went back to pouting, as he led the way inside. Suddenly, as soon as he entered, his expression changed into one full of energy, as he practically bounced on his toes as he showed them around, before making his way to his dressing room.

"Ah, Masami-san! These are my friends from school. This is Kasamatsu Yukio, and this is Yasuhiro Kuroi! Guys, this is my manager, Takahashi Masami." Kise made the introductions, motioning to each of them. His manager, Takahashi, looked up, soft alluring raspberry red eyes hidden by dark red framed glasses. She held up her finger to Kise, and quickly wrote something down before giving a soft sigh. She took her glasses off, and Kuroi had to admit that she was very pretty. "Hello, I've heard lots about you guys from Kise." She smiled, holding out her hand. Her hair was in an up do, hair carefully spun into a tight bun, giving her a professional appearance.

Kasamatsu slowly reached forward, twitching momentarily, before his hand shakily took a hold of hers. "N- nice to meet you." He stuttered out, before pulling his hand back.

"Oh-ho-ho. So _you're _the one who's afraid of women! Don't worry, hun, I won't bite!" Takahashi grinned, patting Kasamatsu's back with a surprising force. Kuroi chuckled, and she held her hand out.

"And let's see, you're the one wh- _Holy crap!_" Kuroi blinked, watching the women stare at her in shock. "Y- You're so cute!" She squealed, pulling Kuroi into a crushing hug.

Kise laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that, Yasuhirocchi... She's a bit... crazy. She finds practically every girl cute." He smiled.

Kuroi tried to pry herself from Takahashi's grasp, but the red haired woman was too strong for her. After a moment, the women let go of her. Kuroi breathed a sigh of relief, and awkwardly smiled up at the women.

"Don't listen to Kise! He's just a little brat!" Takahashi waved her hand around, fiddling with her glasses. "Oh, feel free to call me Masami."

"Masami-san." Kuroi nodded, smiling once she realized the women wouldn't attack her with any more hugs again.

"Anyway!" Masami coughed, clearing her throat. She once again looked more professional and proper, as she turned on her heel, and entered the dressing room which had "Kise" written on it in golden characters. Kise followed after, with Kasamatsu and Kuroi trailing behind him.

Kise's dressing room had shades of yellow, not to bright, around the room. He had a large black desk in the middle, against a wall, which held a large mirror as well as a bunch of knick-knacks and such.

Two other women, one with black hair and turquoise eyes and the other with lilac hair and silver eyes, stood inside. "These are my make-up artists."

"H- Hello, my name is Watanabe Rie." The purple haired women bowed her head in greeting, offering the teens a shy smile.

"I'm Hayashi Ume!" The black haired women grinned brightly, thrusting her thumb at her chest. "But you could just call me Ume! We're all family here."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Yasuhiro Kuroi." Kuroi bowed her, giving both of them a friendly smile.

"K- Kasamatsu Yukio." Kasamatsu stuttered out, his gaze kept to the floor.

"Oi, Masami! Are they here to model?" Ume asked cheerily.

"Oh, n- no. We're here to, uh, watch." Kuroi waved her hands in the air, shaking her head at the same time. Kasamatsu appeared to be too freaked out to say anything, and just settled for staying silent.

"Awh, okay. If you wanna try, just give me a call!" Ume winked, before forcefully sitting Kise down in the chair. The blond complained and whined as Ume and Rie began to do his make-up and hair.

Kasamatsu and Kuroi sat at a plush couch, which was white, with soft golden speaks. Kuroi sat there, admiring the couch, before her stomach grumbled.

She chuckled awkwardly, getting everyone's attention. "If you're hungry, there's a food cart near the studio." Masami smiled, her pen pointing to the door. "I'd take you there myself, but I just realized I'm late for a meeting." She groaned, checking her watch again. "Ume, Rie, I entrust our wonderful blond to you!"

"Y- Yes." Rie nodded, sending the red haired women a soft smile.

"Right-o!" Ume replied, saluting Masami, as the women quickly left the room. Kuroi stood, putting a hand over her stomach.

"Where am I going?" She asked, almost shyly.

"Oh, just, uh- take a right, walk all the way the hall, take another right, then take the first left, then take a right again, then go straight, and then there's a large room, with a table of food and drinks and other things, then right across from it is the place where we shoot at." Ume explained, using her hands to maneuver in the air. Kuroi blinked, clearly confused.

"A- alright." She murmured, before leaving the room. She tried to remember everything Ume had said, and turned right. She walked down to the end of the hall, reading all the names on the doors. It seemed that not only Kise worked here, as well as other young models. So far, there were only male names. She found herself wondering if any girl models modeled here. She reached the end, and took another right, proceeding down to tell she met another opening.

She paused, and looked right then left. "Was I supposed to go right? Or left?" She asked out loud, grabbing her head in frustration at not remembering. "I think left." She made up her mind, and continued to the left. As there were no other halls, she went right, and went straight.

"Finally." She sighed, reaching the room that Ume had described. It was, indeed, filled with foods of all sorts and different kinds of drinks. "This is heaven." She muttered to herself, taking an apple off a fruity looking table.

Not wanting to impose on anything, she took her apple and left, deciding to just eat a late lunch, or simply have dinner, when she got home. It all depended on how long she was going to stay here.

On her way back, she heard a sudden door slam, making her jump. She peered down a different looking hall, and saw a teenager, probably around her age, stomping towards her.

It took a moment, but the boy noticed her. He blinked, and Kuroi stared into his pumpkin colored eyes. He had apricot colored hair, which appeared almost blond in the sun, and was fairly tall. "Who're you?" He asked after a moment.

"Er... Yasuhiro Kuroi..." She answered slowly.

"Oh... Are you new here? Model or employee? I'd say, if you're a model, you're a very pretty one." He grinned wolfishly.

Kuroi faltered, and crossed her arms. "I'm not a model..." She muttered, twitching slightly.

"Ah. Then you must have fallen from the heavens. An angel rejected because of her beauty..."

"... Seriously?" Kuroi chuckled. "You, are very funny,..."

"Takeshi. Abe Takeshi." He grinned, showing his pearly white. He held his hand out, and Kuroi took it after giving a moment of debate. He pulled it close, and gently kissed her hand, before letting go.

"..." She glared at him, frowning. She put both hands behind her back, and just settled for glaring up at him. "So, Abe-kun, do you just flirt with every girl you see?"

"Only the pretty ones."

"Hmph."

"Awh, don't be like that, Kuroi-chan." Takeshi grabbed her wrist, pulling her close to him.

"I didn't say you could call me that!" She huffed out, trying to pull her hand from his grasp. "Bastard." She whispered under her breath, tugging her arm back. But to no avail, Takeshi's grip only tightened.

"So, tell me, what are you doing here, if you're not a model?"

"I'm here to visit my f-"

"Oho? Boyfriend?" He interrupted.

"No. My friend." Kuroi tensely replied, wishing to hit the guy or something. It wasn't the best idea she had, since he was clearly a model. He also had lots of money, and could possible sue her. Even the company could, if they wanted too. Kuroi didn't feel like baring any bad news to her parents.

"And who is that?" His eyes narrowed, making Kuroi twitch in anger. She stayed silent, choosing not to answer him. "Answer me." He growled out, pushing her into the wall.

She stared up into his heated orange eyes, and stuck her tongue out. "Nope." She smiled sweetly. Takeshi's grip tightened on her wrist, and a thread of fear wove its way into Kuroi's heart.

She couldn't play in the match if he broke he wrist. "Let go!" She shouted, sounding almost desperate, as she tried pulling her wrist free again.

"No." He smirked. His grip only tightened further, and Kuroi whispered out a noise of pain.

"Oi, bastard," Kuroi blinked, surprised. She turned her head, and saw Kasamatsu standing just a few feet away, glare on his face. "She said to let go." He growled.

"Oh? And who are _you_, her _boyfriend_?" Takeshi questioned, snickering. "You're way out of your league."

"As a matter of fact; _yes, I am._" Kasamatsu whispered. Kuroi stared in shock, wondering where the hell that had come from. Kasamatsu stepped up, and Takeshi let go slowly. Kuroi pulled her wrist close to her, grabbing it gently with her other hand. She rubbed it, and was glad that it wasn't even bruised. It still hurt, but it was only a dull thud of pain. Kasamatsu continued his advance, and Kuroi thought she should tell him to stop, seeing as he was heading straight for Takeshi.

But, he suddenly changed course, and stepped right in front of Kuroi. "E- Eh?" She stared into his bluish-grey eyes, as he softly cupped her cheek with his hand, and pulled her close to him.

'_EHHHHHHH-..._' Warm, chapped lips collided with hers, and she could feel her face immediately turn red, as she closed her eyes from shock of being kissed by Kasamatsu.

OoOoO

The KasaHiro is strong with this one! *shot* I guess this makes them officially un-official? Kekeke. Sorry if my logic confuses you, it's hard to explain. Lol. It makes sense in my head!

_Kuroi: The way your mind works is very mysterious... and perverted._

Why, thank you! Er, I think...

_Kuroi: That wasn't a compliment._.;_

... I see. T.T

_Kasamatsu: Kuroi's right... *flushes and stares at ground*_

Hey. Don't go and defend your love! :I

_Kasamatsu: *sputters while blushing, then faints*_

_Kuroi:..._

... Well then. *awkward silence*

_Kuroi: You enjoy using me, don't you?_

Very much so. *sees Kuroi's glare* I mean, n- not at all... Heh... Uhm, anyways, thank you to AkibaraLatina for the idea! :D

_Kuroi: So it wasn't all you... I'll let it pass, for now._

_Kise: Yasuhirocchi! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME!?_

KISE! JUST RUN AND DON'T LOOK BACK!

_Kise: Eh!? *gets shoe thrown at head*_

... That's the end of Kise. TuT No, jk. Lol... this is getting to out of hand, so I'm just going to stop typing... :3

~Love me or Hate me~


	29. Basket Twenty-Nine: Confessions

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Twenty-Nine: Confessions (of a Teenage Crossdresser)

OoOoO

Kuroi's mind pulled a blank as Kasamatsu slowly pulled away. Her eyes flickered to his, and she could almost feel the heat pooling off his cheeks, as well as her own.

"Tch." Takeshi scoffed, and turned away. "I'll let it slide for now." He glared from the corner of his eye, and Kuroi was oddly reminded of Kira at the moment. She quickly shook her head and watched the model walk away, leaving her a Kasamatsu alone.

"That was... unexpected." She finally spoke, her voice coming out in a small squeak. Kasamatsu stared at her, before nodding quickly.

"Sorry," He apologized quickly, ducking his head. "But that creep was..."

"A creep." Kuroi smiled, fiddling with her hair. She felt her wig move when she tugged on a strand, and fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I guess we should, uh, get back to Kise."

"Yeah, his two make-up artists told me to come find you."

"Right..." Kuroi had the strongest urge to smack herself, but refrained from looking like a fool, and only settled for belittling herself in her mind. Now, the only person who thought she was insane was her. Weird.

Kasamatsu interrupted her musing with a poke to the arm. She blinked, and stared at him. "That was amusing." She admitted quietly, snickering at Kasamatsu's aloof expression. He blinked at her, before flushing.

'_Just after it died down..._' Kasamatsu thought, twitching at himself. He shook his head, and turned back to Kuroi. "I was wondering..."  
"Yeah?" Kuroi asked, tilting her head by half an inch. Suddenly, she felt as if the tense, awkward atmosphere drifted away.

"U- uhm, were you, or, did-"

"Yasuhirocchi, Kasamatsu-sempai, there you are!" Kuroi jumped; Kise again popping out of nowhere, and panting slightly. "I thought I lost you two in th-..." She raised her eyebrow, wondering why Kise suddenly trailed off; before she noticed that his hair was slicked back, reminding her of Akio's hair.

"Why are both of your faces red?" He chirped, looking in between the two, giving them a suspicious look.

Magically, Kuroi could feel her face become even redder, and she was sure that Kasamatsu felt the same. "N- No reason..." She stuttered out. Kise only narrowed his eyes.

"Something happened." He stated, sounding serious.

"Nothing happened." Kasamatsu glared at Kise, punching the blond's arm gently. Kise made a face, a huge pout on his face. "Okay, okay!" He whined, rubbing his arm, even though it had barely affected him.

"Anyways! I was going to bring you guys back to the studio, because I was going to start shooting in like, five minutes."

"Oka-... Kise, is that eyeliner? _And blush_?" Kuroi smiled, fighting the urge to burst out into giggles in front of the blond.

"Eh?" Kise blinked, and touched his cheek lightly, the blush darkening just by a bit. "Yeah... It makes me look more feminine, they said." Of course, he was referring to his make-up artists.

"You looked feminine to begin with." Kuroi teased, earning a glare and huff from the model. He turned, pout still on his face, and lead the two back in the direction of the studio. "That guy messed up my sense of direction with his weirdness." She said, offhandedly.

"AHA! I knew something hap-"

"Kise!"

"Y- Yes?" Kise turned, before paling slightly. "Guys, this is the owner of the company, Araki Souta. Uh- Boss, these are my two friends: Kasamatsu Yukio and Yasuhiro Kuroi."

Araki stared at the three, before his eyes landed on Kuroi. She blinked, and felt an unsettling sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Uhm, hi." She said quietly, unsure of what else to say to the man. Araki seemed more of a scary business man, completely different from Kise's manager and make-up artists.

"... Kise, Yasuhiro-san is a girl."

"..."

"..." Kuroi couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed, and she crossed her arms. "Yeah, I am." She muttered, but almost immediately regretted it once Araki sent her an oddly calming glare, if such a thing.

"Kise, I thought I told you you aren't allowed to da-"

"We're not dating!" Kise butted in, making a face. "Yasuhirocchi is my friend!"

"Prove it." Araki stated.

"How do you prove that?" Kuroi groaned, smacking her forehead. "Seriously, do I have bad luck today, or what?" She grumbled to herself. '_Besides, it's not like they make friend certifications__...__ do they?_'

"Uh... Yeah, how do I prove it?" Kise blinked, frowning. "Yasuhirocchi, I'm scared!" He cried, shaking the girl.

"Idiot!" She smacked his arm, pushing him away at the same time. Kise stumbled back, rubbing his other arm. "You're not helping your cause!" She explained in a rushed fury.

"Ite..." Kise sighed, turning to look at Kasamatsu. He gave the older male a look that said _sempai-you're-my-last-hope_.

Kasamatsu twitched, before trying to redirect his gaze elsewhere. He was _not _getting involved this time, no matter the look Kise was giving him.

"Kasamatsu-sempai can prove it!" Kise blurted, earning a death glare from mentioned boy. Araki raised his eyebrow, and turned to Kasamatsu.

"Oh? And how can you prove it, Sasamitsu-kun?"

"It's Kasamatsu. _Uh_, Araki-san." Kasamatsu coughed, trying to hide the sudden burst of annoyance. "I can prove it... by, uhm..."

"I- It's because Sas- er, Kasamatsu-sempai is my boyfriend!" Kuroi shouted, face turning red from the lie. '_Am I really lying?_' She thought to herself, before shaking her head fiercely. '_Of course I am!_' Kuroi bit the inside of her cheek, feeling her hands become clammy suddenly.

Araki stared in between the three, eyes narrowing from suspicion. "Fine. I accept that answer." He stated, rather coldly, as if he didn't believe them. A second later, he was walking silently down the hall.

"S- Sorry." Kuroi whispered to Kasamatsu. "But it looked like I saved _you _this time." She smirked, but was suddenly hugged from the side.

"Ehh!" Kise exclaimed, eyes widening. "Yasuhirocchi, Kasamatsu-sempai, congratulations!" He grinned widely, making the two look away from each other.

"I- Idiot! I was just lying!" Kuroi stuttered out, feeling her cheeks heat up from the sudden unwanted attention.

"... Its okay, Yasuhirocchi! You're secret's safe with me!" The blond grinned, before dragging the two towards the photo shooting area at the studio.

'_What secret!?_'

OoOoO

"I never knew modeling took so long." Kuroi groaned, feeling exhausted, even though all she did was sit and watch Kise.

"I thought it'd be quick..." Kasamatsu murmured, eyes glued to the ceiling. Kuroi nodded, and followed Kasamatsu's stare, wondering what was so awesome about the ceiling.

She found nothing, and instead directed her gaze back to the older boy. "So, uhm, what were you going to say earlier? Before Kise came... ?"

"O- Oh," Kasamatsu stopped, making Kuroi come to a halt in front of him. "I was going to ask... you if, if you wanted to..."

"To, well, uh, go... onthebuswithmetomeettheteamonMondayatthestadium!" Kasamatsu's words seemed to blur together, but Kuroi still understood every single one of them. Maybe it was because her eyes were staring at his chapped lips...

"A- Ah... Yeah, sure." Kuroi smiled, giving her upperclassmen a slow nod. She couldn't help but grin, as she continued walking. "You're cute, Kasamatsu-sempai." She hummed.

OoOoO

Monday rolled around sooner than expected, and the bus ride to the Interhigh Prelims was taking longer than expected, but Kasamatsu had claimed that they would still make it on time. Kuroi nodded, and kept her eyes on the cold hard wall of the tunnel the bus was currently driving under.

Day light came from the other side of the tunnel, and Kuroi adjusted in her seat. An uncomfortable silence set in, and she looked at Kasamatsu from the corner of her eye, before looking at the scenery.

A few more minutes passed, and she twitched, beginning to feel like she was losing it. "Okay, seriously, is it going to be like this the entire time?" She asked oh-so-suddenly, turning in her seat to face Kasamatsu, the grip on her duffel bag tightening.

"L- Like what?" Kasamatsu asked, eyes darting to anywhere but hers.

"You know what; this weird awkward silence. It's making me angry." She admitted in a huff, crossing her leg over her other. A few people looked over to them, but otherwise didn't give them any time of day, too entranced with their cellphone or surroundings or companies to care about to lone boys sitting at the back of the bus.

Well, a boy and a girl, but they didn't know that. Kuroi was obviously dressed as a boy, as usual. Short hair, male uniform, chest bandaged.

"I'm just saying, it could probably affect our team play. Not just the two of us, but the others as well. I just want to win the game, and the next, and you catch my drift." Kuroi placed her bag on the ground and crossed her arms as she pushed her duffel back more to the corner with her foot. "Besides, I don't want things to be awkward between us." She added carefully, thinking over her words before actually speaking them.

Kasamatsu stared at her, shoulders dropping as he thought it over as well. "You're right. I'm in no position to cause others trouble, just because of my personal life." He replied. A ghost of a smile appeared on Kuroi's face.

"How should we fix it?" She asked, curiosity etched onto her face.

"First, let's not lie about... anything, anymore." Kasamatsu suggested with a shrug. Kuroi nodded, already knowing what he was talking about.

"About not lying anymore... Could I tell you something?" She asked, almost feeling shy now. Kasamatsu nodded, his attention fully on her.

Kuroi wished he didn't look so focused on her, but pushed the thought away before closing her eyes briefly. She opened them a moment later, and nibbled the inside of her cheek as she mulled over her words. "I... think -_ Er_, I'm_ pretty sure _that I like you..." She confessed in a whisper, trailing off as she was being mindful of the other people occupying the bus.

Hues of red and pink bloomed from Kasamatsu's neck, dusting his cheeks. "I'm pretty sure I like you too." He replied, making Kuroi's heart thud loudly in its cavern.

OoOoO

Kuroi fixed her jersey, smiling at the large number '12' on it. She liked the blue, but preferred purple. Of course, it'd probably look odd if their whole jersey was colored purple.

She looked up at Kasamatsu, and gave the older boy a smile. "You ready?" She asked, tilting her head at him.

"Of course." Kasamatsu replied, smirking in return. Kuroi nodded, brushing her short bangs from her face as she fiddled with her shorts as they all walked out from the change room, through the hall, and finally into the large court. She eyed the many people who came to see the Interhigh Preliminaries warily, and decided it was best to keep her head down, just in case, as she made her way towards the bench. The benched second and third years, including Moriyama, all stood, making room for them.

Kuroi walked up to Moriyama, staring at him. "I won't fail you, Moriyama-sempai!" She smiled. Moriyama nodded, staring strictly at her.

"If you do, the Shooting Guard position will be looked down upon!" He huffed out, making Kuroi frown.

"Lies. But don't worry; I'll do my best for every shooting guard person out there-"

"And for the ladies." Moriyama quickly added, random flowers seemingly appeared out of nowhere and sparkling around him as his cheeks flushed for reasons Kuroi did not want to know of.

"And for the lad- _hey_." Kuroi chuckled, punching Moriyama's arm lightly. He smiled, and lightly sat her down on the bench. "Just focus on Coach for the moment, I'm sure he has a little speech to give." He said, looking up at their Coach.

"Alright, listen up, everyone," Coach Takeuchi began, gathering everyone's attention. "Kaisei isn't exactly known for their weak, so I want you all to be on alert, even if you think you shouldn't, understood!?"

"Yes, Coach!" They all replied, and Kuroi could feel her heart beat faster as the older man walked up to her. "Be careful out there, Yasuhiro." He whispered, patting her shoulder.

Of course, she knew what he meant by that, and gave him a nod, before standing. The referee called their school along with Kaisei to line up, so they could soon begin the game.

Kuroi quickly, almost too quickly, stood and stepped into line. She nearly bumped into one of the members of Kaisei, and she flushed from the embarrassment. '_Isn't this my first game? A real game. An important game._' She thought, eyes focusing on the boy in front of her. He had pale red hair, almost pink in the light and golden-yellow eyes, reminding her of a cat, for some reason. She felt a shiver run up her spine, noticing his golden orbs locked onto hers, and she forced herself to look away, keeping her gaze to the ground.

She had to be careful. Not just for her, but for the team. For Kaijou.

Kuroi curled her fingers into a fist, and bowed, but didn't say anything as the others' voices rang in her ears in a soft buzz. She straightened, and soon got in position.

The ref called Tip Off, throwing the ball up into the air. Kobori scratched the ball with the tip of his finger, but Kaisei's point guard; a boy with short wavy silver hair and electrifying blue eyes managed to snag the ball, knocking it in the direction of his Center.

Kuroi, having already read the movements of his muscles, darted forward. She intercepted the pass, knocking the ball away from the center and towards Kise, who was open.

Unfortunately, Kaisei's power forward was already in front of Kise, stealing the ball. Kuroi frowned momentarily, coming to a still. '_They really are stronger, like Coach said. But, it's a good thing I already knew this from the start._' She thought, smirking as she jogged forward, keeping on her mark's heels. Her purple orbs followed the orange ball, reading the enemy team's movements carefully, waiting.

So far, no one had scored. It wasn't all that surprising to her, but she noticed that Kaisei was beginning to get impatient.

OoOoO

Weeee~ I'm super hyped up on coffee and energy drinks! Hooray! *slapped by Kuroi*... Okay, I'm good... maybe. *twitch, twitch* Heh. OMG OMG THE CONFESSIONS~! So, so cute. Or is it just me?

Anyways, I want to try something weird. I wanna make a little pop quiz type thing, but on the story.

BUT! The winner will have an OC, as minor character, enter this story! You'll be used (lol) in some awesome moments, and be one of Kuroi's epic friends, if wanted. :DDDD?

If you're interested, please take a look on my profile for the-... er, the form? Yeah, the form. Then send me a filled out form via PM, obviously.

Only I have the correct answers, as Kuroi is my creation, so I'll be choosing the most correct/creative... application... given! (You'll see why you need to be creative *coughs*)

Anyways, if not interested: Continue on, my beloveds. C:

~Love me or Hate me~


	30. Basket Thirty: An Old Acquaintance

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Thirty: An Old Acquaintance

OoOoO

'_I guess patience isn't their virtue._' Kuroi thought to herself, her mark, a boy wearing a number 6 jersey, with dark brown hair and coal black eyes, changing directions.

She stayed on his heels, watching his shoulders tense as he caught the ball that was thrown in his direction. '_Now!_' She thought, reaching her hand out to knock the ball from his grasp. She smirked, amused by the surprised expression from the boy as she ran off, the sound of the ball smacking repetitively on the ground as Kise came into her vision.

Kuroi stopped, dribbling the ball idly as she scanned the court. '_Would it be best to give the ball to Kise?_' She thought, watching the power forward from Kaisei. Making up her mind, she bolted forward and headed straight towards the hoop. She glanced at Kise out of the corner of her eye, making sure he was in position, before stopping. Kaisei's small forward was in front of her, arms up in a guarding motion. Kuroi smiled, and shot the ball anyway.

She knew it wouldn't go in, but then again, that wasn't the point. The ball bounced off the rim and sure enough, Kise was there to get the rebound. The blond dunked it in, the force rattling the backboard, if only for a second.

Kaijou was off to a good start, as they had scored the first point.

OoOoO

Thirty-four minutes into the game, Kaisei had subbed their shooting guard out. A taller male who had deep black eyes and matching raven black hair stepped into the game. He had slightly tanned skin and wore the number 4 jersey. Anyone could tell that he was devoted to the game as much as they all were, just from his appearance.

Kuroi followed his movements with watchful eyes. '_Why does he look so familiar?_' She found herself thinking, before turning to Kobori, who had the ball, and motioned for him to pass to her. Kobori gave a small nod and passed her the ball. Kuroi took it and ran forward, breaking past the new guy, who simply blinked, before running after her.

Kuroi almost felt like laughing, for no reason what-so-ever, but stayed silent. She didn't feel like looking like an idiot in front of a bunch of random people who came to watch the prelims.

She passed the ball to Kasamatsu and fell back towards their hoop. The score was at _47 - 34_, with Kaijou in the lead. As much as Kaisei was trying, they just didn't exactly seem that good. Kuroi felt kind of bad for thinking that, but quickly shoved the thought aside when she saw the guy who was just subbed on block Kasamatsu's throw. He hit the ball, which smacked loudly against the ground, before running off with it. Kuroi turned back to Hayakawa and Kobori, who were still by the net. She moved forward, and stopped once she was in front of the guy. He had also stopped, to avoid colliding into her, and just settled for dribbling silently.

'_He better not be some sort of secret weapon or anything._' Kuroi thought, frowning. His muscles tensed, and before she knew it, he was gone from sight. '_Eh!?_' Kuroi turned around, her eyes frantically scanning the court before spotting him. In the few seconds he disappeared from her sight, he had managed to run towards the basket. Kuroi scowled, and turned on her heel and raced after him. '_I should really watch his legs next time. Even though it looks really weird._' She groaned inwardly, remembering a bad experience she had in grade 5.

Her mark was just in the process of releasing the ball by the time Kuroi caught up to him. '_Okay, now just steal the ball!... Wait, stop!_' She cried inwardly, letting out a squeak as she managed to trip over her own two feet and crash straight into the guy. They both tumbled to the ground, and the referee blew his whistle.

"Charging! White - Number 12! Basket counts!" Kuroi blinked, and frowned. '_I think that's my first ever foul... The heck-!_' Feeling a hand pushing against her, she peered down, and paled once she realized her mark's hand was pressed against her chest.

"S- Sorry!" She shouted out. She wanted to smack herself; she had forgotten to lower the pitch of her voice, so now she sounded very girly, especially with the way it already came out. She quickly scrambled off the guy, and held her hand out to him.

"It... It's okay." The guy murmured, looking confused as he was heaved up off the ground.

'_Holy schnitzel! He knows. He knows. He freaking knows. I'm doomed!_' Kuroi's eye twitched, taking a few steps away from her mark.

Kasamatsu came up beside her, his eye twitching. "You shouldn't have been fouled, you clearly tripped." He whispered.

Kuroi gave a small shrug, "The ref doesn't see it that way."

"Plus, he violated you." Kasamatsu deadpanned, making Kuroi flush.

"Shut up. You're just jealous." She huffed, running to catch up with her mark. Kasamatsu stayed behind, as his mark hadn't really moved, and sputtered incoherently.

OoOoO

Kuroi was happy. The game had ended in no time, and to top it all off, she had actually got the last point, in a buzzer beater. Not that they particularly needed it, as they were ahead by a lot.

The score was _88 - 56_. The referee called for the players to line up, and Kuroi jogged up, wiping the sweat that threatened to drip from her forehead. They bowed and turned on their way. Kaijou back to the changing rooms, and Kaisei to their own.

"That was fun." Kuroi randomly said, falling onto the bench with a content sigh. She simply ignored the others who were stripping, finding that she was already used to it.

"Yasuhirocchi, your foul was so funny!" Kise laughed, smile evident on his face. Kuroi paused, and thought back to when she had clumsily tripped over her own two feet.

"Heh, yeah. I think I forgot how to stop for a moment... Then before I knew it, I tripped." She explained, smiling. The others chuckled, and she didn't really mind.

"Eh, you made up for it with that buzzer beater." Moriyama smiled, patting Kuroi's mop of black hair. Kuroi nodded, chuckled darkly.

"Hmm, don't you think that they weren't trying as hard?"

"More like hardly trying at all. But when number 6 switched out for number 4, the big guy seemed like he was the only one into the game." Kasamatsu scoffed, zipping his sweater up.

"The big guy..." Kuroi mumbled. The guy she had collided into. "Wait... _big guy_. BIG GUY! OH MY GOD, KISE!"

"E- Eh!?"

"IT-... It's him!" Kuroi paused to take a moment to clear her throat.

"Who?"

"_The big guy_! Remember!? In middle school?"

"Middle school... Wait, are we talking about the guy you crashed into?" Kise blinked, unsure.

"Yes!" She stressed.

"Oh... What about him?" Kuroi smacked her forehead, fighting the urge to shake the blond. "He's the one who challenged everyone from the first-string members! I remember watching, and I felt so bad - 'cause you guys beat him so badly!"

"Eh! I didn't beat anyone up." Kise frowned, trying to remember when exactly Kuroi had claimed this to happen.

"No, you- _argh_! I meant you beat him in basketball. And then he never showed his face ever again!"

"Oh... Oh. _Ooh!_"

"_There_ you go." Kuroi sighed, crossing her arms. Kise beamed up at her. "I thought we killed him!" He whined in relief.

"... You aren't that strong, idiot. Don't let it go to your head!" Kasamatsu had literally beat Kuroi to it, and smacked Kise upside the head. The purple eyed girl smiled in amusement, watching Kise whine even more at Kasamatsu, who only yelled back at him.

'_I've probably said this before... but, I'm glad I joined Kaijou._' She thought, laughing when Kise had rushed to get up, only to step on his untied shoelace and fall to the ground. Kasamatsu shouted at him to be more careful, or he'll hit him, which was the usual. Of course.

OoOoO

So wasn't into this chapter ._. But, I managed to push through it, for the sake of... writing? And you awesome readers who've been waiting oh-so-patiently. Speaking of which, sorry I haven't updated this in a while, but I have so many ideas for different stories... and yeah. OTL

And omg. I don't know if half of that was right. Talking about the foul Kuroi got. Basketball is confusing. TuT I'm getting a basketball for my birthday :D Totally gonna try random moves from KnB. *shot*

Also, was it just me, or did anyone else (besides Kuroi and myself) want to smack themselves at Kise's stupidity? xD Not saying he's stupid, but... He was having a blond moment. I'm sorry, I probably just upset a bunch of people... I'm tired. FORGIVE ME! ||OTL

~Love me or Hate me~


	31. Basket Thirty-One: A New Student

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Thirty-One: A New Student

OoOoO

It was Monday night, and Kuroi had just finished eating dinner, showing, brushing her teeth, and she was just about to get ready for bed. She grabbed her pajamas, and was about to pull her shirt off before the doorbell rang.

'_Who the heck comes here at this hour?_' Kuroi raised her eyebrow, dropping the dark purple shirt. Curious, she listened to her mother answer the door.

Just a second later, her mother's voice called up the stairs. "Kuroi! One of your friends is here!" Kayate shouted.

Kuroi sighed and made sure her wig was fixed, before stepping out of her room and heading for the stairs. '_Better not be Kise, I swear-_' Her thoughts cut off when she saw blond hair, but it did not belong to Kise.

"Kira..." She blinked, surprised.

_"Just don't go crying to your mommy, Kuroi." Kira threatened, turning on her heel and stomping back towards the school, pale blond locks blowing fiercely in the wind as her cerulean blue eyes narrowed._

She didn't know the girl knew where she lived. Suddenly, Kuroi felt like she was stalked. She continued down the stairs, and her mother raised her eyebrow, but didn't say anything as she turned and left the two girls alone.

Kira's hair was damp, as it had been raining outside just a little while ago. Just to make sure that he mom wouldn't listen in on the conversation, she dragged the girl all the way upstairs to her room.  
Kuroi closed the door behind her, and sat on her desk chair. "Why are you here?" She finally asked, actually feeling quite curious. "It isn't to 'rat me out' to my own mother, is it?" She whispered, narrowing her eyes.

"... No." Kira finally spoke. "I just... wanted, to - uh, uhm... I saw your game."

"My game?" '_Ohh._'

"Ye- Yeah. The one with Kaijou... and that other team."

"You went to see it?" Kuroi gaped.

"I- I only went for the hot men out there!" Kira replied in another stutter. Her face was red. "I was in the area..." She muttered after a second.

"Which is it?" Kuroi asked, teasing the girl.

"... I was in the area when I saw a bunch of hot guys! So, I- uhm, followed them. Turns out they were watching your game, hmph." She put the two together, tsking loudly as she turned her head away from Kuroi, as if to hide her blush.

"Thanks... I guess. But I still think that you're a b-"

"Kuroi!" A sudden knock on the door made her jump slightly.

"Uh, yes, mother?" Kuroi bit her lip, cheeks turning red at the thought of her mother listening.

"I was wondering if you and your friend wanted a snack or anything." Kayate smiled warmly at the two as she opened the door with ease.

'_I thought I locked that!_' Kuroi twitched, before her mother's question registered in her head. "U- Uh, no. I'm good... ?" She turned to Kira, who only smiled politely.

"I'm fine, thank you, though." She bowed her head.

"Oh my, so kind." Kayate giggled, as she nodded at the two before leaving once more. A minute passed, before Kira spoke up again.

"You're mom's... nice." She smiled. Kuroi blinked, dumbfounded. "That's the first time I've seen you smile. Like, a real smile. Not some fake stupid 'I rule the World' smile." She felt slightly amazed, but in the end it made her feel childish, as she admired the smile.

Kira simply rolled her eyes. She studied the room for a few more seconds, before Kuroi's voice brought her from her musings. "So, why are you _really _here?"

"I- I just wanted to tell you... That I... I started laughing when you fell onto that guy!" Kira stuttered out quickly, harrumphing loudly. "Okay, so, I'm going now. Goodbye!" Kira said all too fast as she practically dashed from out of Kuroi's room.

Kuroi watched her leave, blinking. "That was weird." She could hear Kira talking to her mom in a rushed voice, before hearing the front door close a tad on the loud side.

"I guess I'll just ask her tomorrow... What her true motives are." Kuroi had made up her mind, and climbed into her bed tiredly.

OoOoO

Kuroi, or now Kuro, collapsed in her seat, feeling more tired than ever. She reached up to rub at her eyes sleepily, and looked around her class, bored. Everyone was either chatting with each other, or just getting things ready as class was about to begin in a minute or two.

Kuroi thought that she should also get things ready, until her eyes landed on a girl who just walked through the doors with a teacher beside her.

"Class!" He interrupted, causing everyone's attention to go to him, then to the new girl. "This is Vinocair Mikurei, and she'll be joining our class on short notice! Please treat her kindly."

A collective 'okay's' filled the room, although Kuroi was the one to stay silent. The girl, Mikurei, had dark cobalt blue hair with mesmerizing amber yellow eyes. She appeared to be quiet and reserved. She wore an emotionless expression, reminding Kuroi of Kise's ex-team mate, Kuroko Tetsuya.

"You may take your seat next to Yasuhiro-kun." Kuroi blinked at the mention of her name, rousing her from her thoughts about the new kid. Raising her hand, as the girl had no clue as to who she was, she waved Mikurei over.

Mikurei gave a small nod, barely noticeable, and sat in her designated seat silently. Kuroi looked at her out of the corner of her eye, before deciding to introduce herself. She cleared her throat, not only to get the girl's attention, but so she could have the chance to lower her vocal pitch, just in case her voice decided to come out squeaky from lack of use. "Hey, I'm Yasuhiro Kuro-..." Kuroi trailed off, about ready to smack herself. She was about to say _Kuroi_, instead of Kuro. But, she managed to luck out. An awkward smile presented itself on her face, as she held her hand out.

The girl tilted her head an inch, before accepting the hand slowly, as if she didn't know what to do about it. "Vinocair Mikurei." She replied stiffly, making Kuroi smile in amusement.

"I like your name." Kuroi offered, seeing the girl pause and blink, before she turned back to face the chalk-board. Kuroi also faced the board, getting ready to begin another full day of work.

OoOoO

There was a spider in the shower with me Dx It was big (my version of big isn't big at all. It was probably the size of a dime) gross and horrible! I let this weird girly scream out, and splashed water at it... Then it went down the drain.

_Kuroi: Wimp._

D: Meanie.. Er, anyway *coughs* As usual, thank you for reading, and thank you to MusicofMadness and Reimei-Jennoir (the winner of my pop quiz thingy) for the ideas used in this chapter and to ZeroKitty for the last chapter's idea. C:

Oh! Also, forgot to say: Mikurei belongs to Reimei-Jennoir :3

_Kuroi: Hey, what's Kira up to?_

Eh? Uhm, nothing... yet?

_Kuroi: Tell me! Or I'll sick puppy-Kise on you._

... Is puppy-Kise vicious?

_Kuroi:... No. Nevermind. I'll sick myself on you._

D: Just- _wait!_ Okay? You'll find out soon enough!

_Kuroi: Hmph._

You know, I had the random urge to make one of those "Ask _" stories. They seem so fun. But, of course, I'd use you, Kuroi.

_Kuroi: Gee, thanks._

You're welcome! :3 Wonder how that'd turn out... *enter creepy Kagami laugh* _Should I?_

~Love me or Hate me~


	32. Basket Thirty-Two: Official

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Thirty-Two: Official

OoOoO

It was now the beginning of fifth period, Biology. Students had come back from their much-needed lunch break, and were all seated back inside their respective classrooms.

Kuroi let a quiet sigh out as she plopped into her desk. '_Seriously, man. Being a crossdressing high schooler is tough._' She thought to herself, idly brushing short strands of her hair back. Maybe she should cut it again; it was slowly beginning to grow back.

Fretting about her decisions, she didn't hear the teacher call her name.

"Yasuhiro-kun." Kuroi paused, feeling a soft tap on her shoulder. She turned and realized that it was Mikurei, who was giving her a blank stare. "The teacher." She tilted her head to the front. Kuroi flushed from the sudden attention as everyone in the class was giggling at her and turned to the teacher, who was glaring at her.

"Sorry." She muttered, lowering her voice.

"As I was saying; Yasuhiro-kun, you'll be paired with Vinocair-san for this assignment."

"Ah, alright." Kuroi nodded quickly. She turned her gaze to Mikurei, who didn't even seem to be paying attention to her. '_Is she doing that on purpose?_' She asked herself, eyeing the girls blue hair with interest. Just earlier that day, the new student had been basically ignoring everyone. It was either that, or she only nodded. '_Maybe she's socially awkward._' The word _Kuudere _popped up in her mind, before she shook the thought away.

"So, should we get started?" Kuroi asked, turning in her seat so she was actually facing Mikurei. The amber eyed girl nodded, really just a tilt of her head and also faced Kuroi. "... I missed what the project was supposed to be about." Kuroi muttered slowly.

"..." Mikurei opened her mouth, just about to explain it, until the teacher came up and handed them both two separate sheets of paper.

"This is the basic information you'll need; also, you need to collect all this information and show it in a project to the class."

"Great..." Kuroi offered a tight-lipped smile, before looking over her sheet. "Species at Risk... Part A, select one of the species from the list provided below." She read it quietly, more to herself than Mikurei. Her eyes scanned the list. "Huh, Barn Owl, Horned Lark, Basking Shard, Orca... Dense Spike Primrose? I thought these were animals... Oh! Sea Otters!" Kuroi's eyes widened, sparkling. She had always thought that sea otters were really cute. She would admit that she wanted one as a pet when she was younger, but, that obviously didn't happen.

"What do you want to do?"

"Sea otters." Mikurei agreed, making Kuroi beam at her. "Okay!" Kuroi froze; she coughed and cleared her throat, hoping that her partner wouldn't detect the feminine tone in it.

"Ah, a- anyways. Sea otters don't really excite me that much." She muttered, acting like it wasn't such a big deal suddenly. As she turned away, she missed the small amused smile that Mikurei showed.

OoOoO

The bell rang, and Kuroi sighed. "Okay, well, what should we do? We have a _week _to turn our project in..."

Mikurei looked at her papers in thought. "I guess we could go to the library or something."

"Oh, sure!" Kuroi smiled. "Er, the school library?" Mikurei nodded. "Okay." Kuroi nodded back, before standing with a stretch.

"Oh, I have practice right after school..." Mikurei just gave her a blank stare. "Basketball practice." Kuroi elaborated. She received a nod of understanding.

"Do you have any club activities yet?"

Mikurei shook her head. "I see, do you want help finding one?" Again, she got a negative from the new student.

"A- Alright... Well, what do you want to do? I mean, practice lasts for two hours. I could tell Kasamatsu-sempai that I need to leave ear-"

"It's fine. I'll wait in the library for you."

"Are you su-"

"Yes." Without another word, Mikurei turned away from Kuroi, getting her things ready for their last class of the day.

Kuroi's stare lingered on Mikurei, before slowly turning back in her seat. She, too, got her things ready for a long boring lecture of the English language.

OoOoO

Finally after forty minutes, school was now over. Kuroi happily stood, putting her things away or collecting them as she would need them for the project. She turned to Mikurei, who she found was already walking out of the classroom. Shoulders slumped, Kuroi walked from out of the classroom and all the way to the gym.

She changed and walked out from the girls changing room once she checked that no one was watching her. Kuroi slunk into the crowd, and couldn't help but lose herself in her thoughts every now and then as Kasamatsu began explaining things.

Her thoughts had drifted from Mikurei to Kasamatsu in a matter of seconds, and soon she found herself intently staring at the older boy. '_What _is _our relationship... ?_' She asked herself. Biting her lip, she figured that she would just ask. After all, they _did _confess to each other.

The memory made her blush. She would have kept thinking about it, going over different scenarios, but then she felt a poke on her side. Kuroi twitched, fighting back a choked giggle by coughing loudly.

'_Speak of the devil..._' "Kasamatsu..." She murmured, the name sounding almost foreign on her tongue. "I wanted to-"

"Could we-"

Both of them fell silent, flushing unnecessarily at the interruption. Kuroi shrugged her shoulders for a lack of anything better to do, and finally spoke up when it was clear Kasamatsu was waiting for her to talk.

"Uhm, I was wondering... what our, uh, 'relationship'... is?"

Kasamatsu's eyes widened, '_That's what I was going to ask her... It's not like we didn't really get a chance to 'talk' since the game..._' "Wh- What do you want it to be?" He queried.

'_Is he really going to ask me that? I'm sure we both know the answer..._' "Well, I was thinking... That... Maybe, uh, you know-" '_Oh gawd, is a girl really doing the asking out here?_' She went silent, closing her eyes for a moment in order to recollect her thoughts. "The maybe we should go on a date..." She finally said. Unable to look to see his reaction, she lowered her gaze to her feet, staring at the light dirt marks on her otherwise white sneakers.

Kasamatsu smiled, not caring at the moment if his cheeks burned a bright red, especially in front of everyone on the team. "Yeah... I'd like that."

"Like what?" Moriyama suddenly popped up, looking at the two suspiciously. Kuroi blinked in surprise, and decided to look anywhere but her sempai's eyes. "Ohhh, I see what's going on here. Kasamatsu! You better take care of our precious kohai!"

"S- Shut up!" Kasamatsu glowered at his friend, lightly smacking him on the arm. Moriyama just smiled.

"Well, it's about time, anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" Kuroi huffed, crossing her arms. Moriyama stared, before shrugging.

"Everyone already knew." He laughed, patting both the shorter teens' heads. He turned, just able to dodge Kasamatsu's kick, and walked away, approaching a seemingly confused Kobori. "I bet he's going to make it worse by announcing it to the whole school."

"... Rumors do spread fast." Kasamatsu mused quietly.

Kuroi arched her eyebrow, "Only, it's not a rumor." She corrected, an edge in her voice.

"True." The both shared a smile.

OoOoO

Oh, gawd! I forgot to put this in the last chapter; you know that pop quiz thing I had? Yeah, one of the participants posted their short-story thingy. It's a Kagami/Kuroi one :3 It's called **A Meeting of Fate**

You guys should check it out! :3 It's really cute c;

To **OMGIt'sKawaii3**: Long time no see/talk/read! Of course you may give ideas/suggestions! :3 *takes brownies* *Q* Thanks!

Oh, lastly, I made an "Ask Yasuhiro Kuroi" story. xD Kekeke. Go see it if you're curious about anything, then go ahead and.. ask... Kuroi. :P (Kasamatsu seems to be a popular subject. Lol.)

~Love me or Hate me~


	33. Basket Thirty-Three: Not-so-Secret

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Thirty-Three: Not-so-Secret

OoOoO

"You know, I've been thinking it over..." Kuroi panted, wiping the trickle of sweat from her face. They had just arrived back from running around the school.

She sniffled, and smirked. "Doesn't this pretty much make you gay?"

Kasamatsu froze, halting in his steps. "What?"

"Well, the rest of the school sees me as a boy, right?"

"Right..."

"And you're a boy."

"Damn." Kasamatsu sighed. "I guess it does, in a way."

"Also, I bet people are going to wonder _'Why Kuro?' _instead of _'Why not Kise?'_."She started laughing at the expression Kasamatsu gave her.

"That's wrong." He huffed.

"But oh-so-right." Kuroi joked, grabbing her water bottle off the bench to take a sip. "Ah!" She spat her water out, just remembering that she was supposed to meet Mikurei in the library. "S- Sempai! I need to go now!" She cried, running into the changing room. She came out a minute later, fully dressed into her boy attire.

"Wai- what?" Kasamatsu gave her a bizarre stare.

"There's this new girl in my class, and we were paired up for a project! I forgot that I need to go to the library and help out." She explained, stuffing her gym clothing into her duffel as fast as she could.

"Oh, okay... Bye?"

"Bye!" Kuroi was about to run out from the gym, but stopped completely. Fretting, she quickly walked up to Kasamatsu, her face burning red. Kasamatsu gave her a questioning look. Kuroi finally made up her mind, and stepped up to the older boy. She quickly pecked his cheek, and then made her escape, leaving a blushing Kasamatsu in her wake.

OoOoO

By the time she made it to the library, she was huffing and puffing again. She breathed in deeply, before releasing it loudly. The librarian gave her a look, which she sheepishly smiled at.

Kuroi walked further into the library, making it to the center where all the desks were located. As usual, there wasn't anyone else in there, except for the new transfer student.

"Yo, sorry I'm late!" By that, Kuroi didn't know if she was late or not. But, just to be on the sure side, she said it anyway. She put her duffel bag on the ground beside her chair, and blinked at all the splayed notes across the long table.

"Did you..." She went silent, staring in awe at all the work Mikurei had already done. "An- Hey, wait a sec, we were supposed to do this together..." Mikurei gave her a shrug, making Kuroi pout at her.

"Well, can I do anything to help? Are you missing any information?" The blue haired girl gave a curt nod, spreading out some papers. She had a stack of marine animal books beside her, and also gave a few of those to Kuroi.

Kuroi looked over the papers, using her elbows for support as she studied the work Mikurei did while waiting. "Sorry." Kuroi said quickly. "I took too long and made you work on all this while waiting for my late-ass." She chuckled, an apologetic look flashing on her face.

"Ah, if you want, I could treat you to ice cream or something!" Kuroi suddenly pushed herself from the table, intently staring at Mikurei. She noticed a minor look of surprise pass over the girls face, and smiled warmly. "I'm not too good with dealing with people, either..." She murmured, sitting back down.

Calculating yellow orbs lingered on her, before a present nod made itself clear. Kuroi's smile turned into a grin, and she gave a nod back. "Alright. Is it okay if we go tomorrow?" Another nod of confirmation made her laugh.

OoOoO

After two hours passed, the librarian walked up to them. "Excuse me, but the library will be closing in about a minute."  
"Ah, thanks." Kuroi stood, stretching. She yawned, feeling even more tired from not only practice but having to do homework. She ran her hand through her hair and began organizing her books to put them away. Kuroi replaced the books they didn't need anymore, as Mikurei began packing up their work neatly.

"Hm, do you want me to take it?"

Mikurei paused, appearing to contemplate this, before shaking her head, "No." She said softly. Kuroi shrugged, and zipped up her duffel bag. "Alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow!" She gave a wave of her hand.

Mikurei nodded, and Kuroi quickly exited the school's library. '_I think I'll just change here. I'm too tired and lazy to stop at the mall today._' Making up her mind, she decided to head back towards the gym. She knew that no one would be here because after-school club activities were long over by now, and the school would be closing in half an hour anyway.

Kuroi entered the girls changing room inside the gym, a now regular occurrence, and swiftly began to change into her girl uniform. She unraveled the bandages, sighing in relief, and stuffed them into her bag. She adjusted the blazer, and pulled her socks up till they reached the bottom of her knees. Next she put her wig on, and made sure it was clipped into place, before checking over her image in the mirror.

"Okay, good to go." She mumbled, smiling at her reflection. "Ah..." She blinked, staring. She felt her cheek, which was indeed warm, by the looks of it. '_Why do I feel so warm?_' She wondered. Giving a careless shrug, she took her bag and stopped at the door. Her hand lingered on the handle, before slowly opening the door. '_Why do I always get so creeped out after leaving?_' She snorted at her own stupidity, and left the changing room and gym, then onto her way home.

Unknown to her, she didn't notice a pair of widened golden eyes watching her.

OoOoO

Whoa, dude. I must have been half asleep when I started typing chapter 24, instead of 23 o.O; *wiggin out* Lol. Anyway, I got a desk today as an early b-day present! TuTb

It's so awesome. *huggles desk*... Although it sucked to put together. D;

~Love me or Hate me~


	34. Basket Thirty-Four: New Ally

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Thirty-Four: New Ally

OoOoO

"Awh, man!" Kuroi groaned loudly, grabbing her head as she tumbled onto her bed. "I forgot to ask Kira about what the heck she was planning! The suspicious bit-"

"Kuroi!"

"A- Ah, yes, mom?" Kuroi coughed, making sure her wig was still on her head as she quickly sat up, facing the door. There was silence for a moment, before her mom spoke again.

"Is there something you're not telling me... ?"

"Eh?" Kuroi blinked, halting her movements. '_Holy crap. Does she know? Does she!? I'm dead for sure if she do-_'

"It's just... You've been so distant lately, and you're returning more lately than usual... I'm just worried." Kuroi visibly relaxed as she got off her bed and opened the door.

"Sorry, I'm just busy with practice. We're currently in the preliminaries!"

"Oh, should your father and I come watch?"

"U- uh, er, no. It's fine. Nothing too special." Kuroi chucked awkwardly, patting her mother's shoulder. Kayate gave her a childish frown. "But, don't worry, mother. Plus, I have this project to work on with this new girl in my class. Her name is Vinocair Mikurei."

"Sounds exotic." Kayate smiled warmly. Kuroi chuckled, "I think it's a pretty name." She replied.

"Hmm, well. Have a nice sleep, sweetie."

"I will." Kuroi replied. She waited until her mother closed the door and her steps few faint. She sighed and fell back onto her bed, glaring at the ceiling. "I wonder how long this will go on for..."

Deciding to go out for a quick walk, despite being tired and ache-y, she pulled her sweater on and opened the door. It was late, but not late enough that she still couldn't go outside. Kuroi just wanted to clear her head, is all.

"Mom, I'm going for a little walk."

"Okay, hurry back." Kayate replied faintly.

Kuroi just gave a nod, knowing her mother couldn't see it, but didn't press her luck.

OoOoO

"Uhm, Mikurei?" Kuroi stared at the girl. All through first, second, third, and fourth period the girl had been totally ignoring her. This was Kuroi's thirty-fourth attempt to catch the girl's attention. She had asked her about the project, about her family, just random little things that might have done the job, but she was granted no such luck.

Kuroi sighed and turned her head back to the board, as class was still in session. Five minutes later, she decided to try again. "I know I'm probably annoying you, but could you at least tell me what I did wrong?" She whispered, making sure the teacher was facing the opposite way before she talked.

She wasn't surprised when she didn't get an answer. Kuroi glanced towards the clock, '_Only five more minutes till lunch. What should I do though; I told myself that I was going to confront Kira... But then, I want to find out why Mikurei keeps ignoring me. But-! Awhhh, stupid, stupid, stupid me! I hate yo- er, me. I-... What was I thinking about again?_' A blank looked crossed her face, watching the big hand on the clock move with each passing second. '_Right, here's the plan. Stalk Mikurei, stalk Kira, and then st- er, eat lunch. Yeah._' Three minutes later, the bell rang. Kuroi sprang to her feet a second later, startling some of the other students in the process, before taking her bento from out of her bag. She looked up, and nearly cried out when she realized Mikurei was nowhere in sight. '_KUROKO ABILITIES?!_' She gaped, and quickly ran out into the hall, only to bump right into someone's chest. Kuroi would have toppled over, if not for a hand darting out to grab her. Dark brown hair and deep blue eyes greeted her sight. "Jiro?" Kuroi blinked. "I haven't seen you in a while." She said, smiling. Of course, she had seen him at practice countless times, but have never approached or been approached by him, yet.

"Same! I was wondering if you wanted to come eat lunch with me and some of the others." Jiro smiled, and Kuroi could almost hear girls' hearts melt at the sight.

She rolled her eyes, prying her wrist free from his hold. "Sorry, I'm looking for someone. Then I need to look for someone else, then I can eat."

"Ah, who're you looking for?" Jiro asked, staring intently at her purple eyes.

"Mikurei. She has dark blue hair and yellow eyes."

Jiro grinned, "Sounds adorable."

"Pervert." She swatted his arm, and looked both ways down the hall. "Have you seen her?"

"Nope."

"Damn. Well, anyway, I'll see you at practice!" She gave his shoulder a hard pat, before jogging off down the hall.

Kuroi rounded a corner, huffing loudly. "Where did she go..." She muttered. Kuroi turned and decided to check the library. She didn't see any sign of Mikurei there, so she decided to check the cafeteria. After managing to scan the entire area, she did see the girl.

"Maybe outside..." Ten minutes later, she was back inside her classroom, sitting in her desk. '_I couldn't find her._' She thought dully, nibbling on her rice ball.

The lunch bell rang, and sure enough, Mikurei appeared in a matter of seconds. Kuroi watched the girl like a hawk, and in turn, the girl ignored her. Fifth then sixth period passed by quickly, and the bell rang.

Mikurei stood, and collected her things before leaving the classroom. Kuroi was hot on her heels, eyes glued to her back as she stalked her through the halls. '_I know I should head to practice, but I just want to know where she's planning on go-... oh._' Kuroi blinked, realizing that they had ended up at the library.

"I'll see you later." Mikurei whispered, before disappearing inside the said library. Kuroi could only stare at the doors meekly, before turning to make her way to the gym.

OoOoO

During practice, her mind kept wandering to Mikurei. She was beginning to get annoyed at what was wrong. What happened? Surely not something bad, right? Kuroi had only known the girl for a day.

"Oi, Kuroi!" Blue-grey eyes sprung into her vision, and Kuroi nearly lost her footing. "Sempai." She greeted.

"Why are you spacing out?" Kasamatsu huffed at her. Dating or not, she still needed to practice with everyone else.

"Ah, it's just that Mikurei keeps ignoring me. I don't' know why..." She glanced at the clock in the gym. '_Practice is over in ten minutes..._' "Can I leave practice early? Like, now?"

Kasamatsu raised his eyebrow, "Now?" He questioned. He looked at the clock, before nodding slowly. "I guess s-" He was interrupted by another kiss on the cheek. He blushed and put a hand on his cheek, watching Kuroi bolt into the girls' changing room and coming out a minute later back in his boy attire.

"Thank you!" She called, waving her goodbyes to the other members before departing.

OoOoO

Once Kuroi finally made it to the library, she was surprised when she didn't see Mikurei at the desk they were at yesterday. "Uhm... Miku-"

"Hello."

"Uwah!" Kuroi let an un-manly yelp out, stumbling backwards and falling onto the chair. Mikurei was standing before her, arms crossed and an embarrassed yet stern expression on her face. "... ?"

"Yasuhiro-kun, I would like to confirm something that's been bothering me all day today and partly yesterday..."

"Y- Yes?"

Mikurei took a look around the library, apart from the librarian; they were the only two in there. "Are you crossdressing as a girl?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

"Wha- No! I mean... not... exactly." Kuroi groaned, grasping her head. '_This can't be! How does she know about me!? Well, sorta... know..._'

"Then, if you'll please enlighten me on why I saw you exiting the girls changing room... looking like... a... girl." She trailed off, biting her bottom lip.

'_So that's why she's been ignoring me. Damn, I need to be more careful..._' "Uhm... If I tell you, you have to _promise _me that you'll never tell anyone. Okay?" Kuroi watched Mikurei nod quickly. "I am a girl, for starters."

"Why-"

"Long story short: I basically entered this school as a guy, because I love basketball, and I want to play it, and yeah... But, the thing is, my parents or no one else really knows about my being a girl. Well, the basketball team knows, and my friend and other friend... And this one girl who kinda blackmailed me into dating her... But, yeah. No one, really." The more she explained her little story, the crazier and weird it all felt. "I have a weird life, to sum it up." She replied in a monotone voice. Mikurei nodded slowly, thinking over the explanation.

"I thought you were some guy with a weird crossdressing fetish or something..." Mikurei muttered after a minute, her cheeks taking on a pink color.

"Interesting." Kuroi giggled. "Well, then. I feel like this whole misunderstanding brought us closer." She said. Mikurei only gave her a shy nod.

"What's your real name?" The blue haired girl asked.

"It's Yasuhiro Kuroi." Kuroi smiled, holding her hand out. Mikurei took it, and they shook.

"Vinocair Mikurei." It was a proper introduction, and Kuroi beamed up at the girl.

"Rei-chan!" She grinned, enjoying how Mikurei's cheeks turned red again. "Oh, hey! You should come hang out at practice! I mean, you don't have to do anything, but I'm sure I can convince Kasamatsu to let you stay. But, uh, you might get hit on by some of them... Namely Moriyama-sempai. And Jiro... Meh. Feel free to punch them in the face and tell them I told you to do it!" She shifted in her seat, looking at the splayed papers on the table. "Ah, I see you've done more work." She whined, not knowing whether to be happy or sad.

But, Kuroi supposed that she could be happy. Just this once. Because she had gained a new ally.

OoOoO

I'm changing my pen name! Just so you all know. o.o; But! I need help deciding what it should be, so I've made a poll on my profile... There's like, 8 choices. If you guys could be so kind as to vote which you like best (you only get two choices) then it'd help a lot! :3

Thank you~!

~Love me or Hate me~ (Guess I'd need to change this, as well. o.o')


	35. Basket Thirty-Five: Fans and Clubs

Hidden Beauty

OoOoO

Basket Thirty-Five: Of Fangirls and Fanclubs

OoOoO

"Kuro-sempai!"

"Kuro-kun!"

"Eh?" Kuroi blinked, turning her attention to the two girls in front of her desk. She put her book down, staring at then questioningly. "Uh, why are you calling me sempai? We're in the same class..."

The two girls, one with dark crimson hair and crystal green eyes and the other with pale brown hair and soft blue eyes turned to look at each other with shy smiles.

"Be- Because! You're our sempai in..."

"In love!"

Kuroi looked at the two, shocked. "_Eh!?_"

"Yes! We know you like Ka-"

"Shh! Keep it down, will you!" Kuroi waved her arms about, looking around the room just to make sure no one else was really paying any attention.

"Kuro-kun, are you bi?" Blue eyes stared intently, burning with the desire to learn the information.

"Huh?" Kuroi could only blink stupidly at her, before turning to the other who also leaned close to her face.

"You dated Kira-sempai, but now you're dating Kasamatsu-sempai!" She gushed.

"They're in the same class, no less!"

"O- Okay, look, maybe I was... confused." '_This is really getting blown out of proportion__..._' Kuroi thought, laughing awkwardly as the two girls literally sparkled at her.

"C- Can we start a Yasuhiro Kuro fanclub!?"

"Wh-"

"We'll promise to love you forever!"

"Bu-"

"Thanks, Kuro-kun!"

"Yeah, thank you, sempai-in-love!"

"Se- Sempai.. in-love?" Kuroi let a sigh out and turned to face Mikurei, who was giving her an _I-feel-bad-for-you-'sempai-in-love'_ look. "I don't understand girls." Kuroi concluded. '_Oh, wait, then I guess I don't understand myself_.' She thought, before shrugging.

Mikurei smiled and nodded in understanding, pulling her lunch out as it was currently lunch time. "Ne, Rei-chan, do you wanna come eat lunch with me and the others?" Kuroi asked, her arm hanging off the chair as she idly eyed those two girls who had just claimed they were going to make a 'fan-club' for her. Well, guy-her.

"I'm feeling a little creeped out at the moment, anyway." She added in a whisper, slowly getting her bento from out of her bag and standing up with a stretch.

Mikurei paused, and thought it over. "Please?" Kuroi pouted, whining. '_I feel like Kise..._' She twitched at the resemblance, a shudder running through her body.

"I guess... it wouldn't hurt..." Mikurei nodded, agreeing with a small shy smile. Kuroi grinned.

"Alright, to lunch!"

OoOoO

The girl and girl-disguised-as-a-boy walked on into the gym. Mikurei stopped at the doors, eyeing the spacious gym. Some of the guys on the team were running around, playing practice matches.

"Ahh, this reminds me of the first time I came to eat lunch here." Kuroi smiled at the memory. "Ah, there's sem-"

"Yasuhirocchi~ Nice of you to join us!" Kise had literally skipped over, smiling brightly. He paused, noticing a girl close behind Kuroi, who appeared to be glued to the door.

"Oh, Kise, this is my classmate, Vinocair Mikurei. She also, uh, found out about... me." Kuroi confessed sheepishly.

Kise blinked, before grinning widely. "Hi! It's nice to meet you! I'm Kise Ryouta, you may know me as the epic mode-"

"Don't mouth off, idiot." Kuroi muttered, elbowing Kise in the ribcage. Kise whined, but fell silent.

He went into deep thought, before a sparkle lit up in his eyes. "Oh! I'll go tell sempai his beloved is here to see him!" Kise laughed, barely managing to escape Kuroi's wrathful attack.

"What a stupid-"

"Dog."

"Huh?" Kuroi blinked dumbly, turning her gaze to Mikurei, who was clutching the side of the door with surprising strength.

"I like dogs. He reminds me of one." Mikurei whispered. Kuroi chuckled. "Yeah, I guess he is kinda like one." She agreed. "Anyway, let's go eat!" Kuroi announced, grabbing Mikurei's arm with her free hand, and pulling her gently towards where Kise had bounded off to join the others.

"Kasamatsu-sempai, do you mind if my beloved Rei-chan sits with us?" Kuroi asked. She didn't wait for an answer, and instead just lightly pulled Mikurei to the floor with her, grinning the entire time.

Kasamatsu gave the two an airy look before her words finally clicked in his head. "S- su- sure!" He stuttered out, moving back a little bit at the sight of the Mikurei.

"Don't worry, Rei-chan. There isn't anything wrong with you - It's just that sempai has Parthenophobia." Kuroi smirked, making Kasamatsu sputter some more, but without forming any words.

The others laughed, and easily accepted the girl into their little group, despite her being silent and slightly cold and hostile towards them.

OoOoO

Practice had just ended and currently Kuroi, along with Kasamatsu, Kise, and Moriyama were leaving the school, on their way home.

Kuroi had agreed to meet with Mikurei at a local cafe around five. She was still going to keep her promise and buy the girl ice cream! They also needed to work on their project, as well...

Kise had said something, stirring Kuroi out of her thoughts. She turned to him, shocked. "Ehh! What do you mean you're going to go watch one without me!?" The black haired girl whined, nearly tripping over her own two feet at the thought. "I want to go watch a match... And it's with Kuroko's team, no less. Right? With who?"

"Seirin vs Seiho." Kasamatsu replied. Kuroi just frowned, and kept her gaze locked onto the ground. "I- If it makes you feel any better, you can come along i- if you really want to." Kasamatsu stuttered out.

"Really!?"

"Of course, I'll be there to chaperone!" Kise smiled innocently at the two. Moriyama flicked Kise's head, making the blond whine quietly. "Can't you leave their date alone?" He asked, amused.

"But, but, I want to watch Kurokocchi in action again, with Kagamicchi! And I was originally going to go!"

Kasamatsu stayed silent, choosing not to reply to Moriyama's 'date' part. Although that didn't stop the blush from forming on his cheeks.

Kuroi remained oblivious, too focused on the fact that she was going to go see a game.

"Also, I think Midorimacchi's team is also playing a game there." Kise grinned, finding it funny how this time Kuroi really did trip over her feet.

Kasamatsu blinked, and quickly helped her up off the ground. Kuroi just laughed, dusting herself off.

"Sorry, I was just shocked for a moment there." She explained. "Because, depending on if Seirin and Shuutoku win, then that means they play against each other!" She wanted to die from happiness. It was always fun watching old team mates go against each other, anyway.

OoOoO

Kuroi, you clumsy little crossdresser, you. *pinches cheeks*

_Kuroi: *punches* Leggo!_

Don't be mean! Dx

_Kuroi:... =w=_

Be happy. You have a fanclub.

_Kuroi: I don't want a fanclub, baka-creator._

TuT... Too bad. You'd want one if Kasamatsu was in it.

_Kuroi: IDIOT!... *whips basketball at face*_

*dies*

_Kise: It looks like it's up to me to write the next chapter! :D_

_Kuroi: You'll ruin everything! This is where Kasamatsu should come in._

_Kise: But! Sempai would just write about his love for you! It's no fair!_

_Kuroi: Fine! I'll bring the baka-girl back to life. Just stop sprouting stupid things..._

~Love me or Hate me~


End file.
